W**   ISAACS    LOOMIS.LL.D, 
Tte    American    Astronomer. 


THE  ANTI-NEWTONIAN. 


INCIDENTS  ANB  FACTS 


M¥   En  I 


BY 

WILLIAM   ISAACS    LOOMIS, 

Pastor  of  the  Antioch  Baptist  Church,  264  Bleecker  Street,  New  York. 


THOMAS  HOLMAN,  PBINTEK,  CORNER  OF  CENTRE  AND  WHITE  STREETS. 
1869 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,  by 
WM.  ISAACS  LOOMIS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


GOD  THE  SAY10R  IS  MT  GLORY. 


IN  the  Life  of  Flavins  Josephus,  written  by  him- 
self, he  boasts  of  somewhat  better  blood  in  his 
veins  than  that  of  ordinary  mortals,  resting  his 
claim  on  a  lineage  of  illustrious  relatives,  and  a 
motherhood  in  a  line  of  priests  and  kings. 

Being  an  ordinary  mortal  in  the  commonwealth 
of  men,  I  rejoice  in  that  the  one  blood  of  mankind 
flows  through  my  veins.  The  beaming  smile  of 
my  mother,  which  shone  on  my  infant  face,  was  a 
reflection  of  the  smile  of  the  Queen  Mother  of 
Eden,  and  in  it  could  be  read  my  pedigree — an 
offspring  of  God.  Such  a  descent  of  birth  and 
blood,  made  not  less  sacred  on  account  of  igno- 
rance and  sin,  is  glory ;  and  animated  by  it,  my 
brothers  and  peers  of  the  race,  in  the  use  of  their 
godlike  powers,  may  rise  to  a  distinction  which 
their  Creator  will  delight  to  honor. 

After  so  long  time  from  the  creation  of  man, 
and  while  the  philosophers  are  so  abundantly  satis- 
fied with  Newton's  demonstrations  of  his  System  of 
the  World,  I  announce  to  my  countrymen  and  the 
world  discoveries  of  facts  of  nature  in  the  celestial 
science  of  astronomy  which  are  anti-Newtonian. 
An  appeal  from  Newton's  Principia  to  the  facts  of 
nature  constitutes  the  foundation  of  my  arguments ; 
and  assuming  that  some  may  ask  :  Who  is  he  ?  I 
have  concluded  to  say  a  few  words  in  reference  to 
myself,  course  of  life,  and  the  way  in  which  I  was 
led  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  my  duty  to  oppose 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS  IN   MY   LIFE. 


the  philosophy  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  and  give  to 
mankind  the  natural  law  of  the  motions  of  the 
heavenly  bodies. 


1.  On  a  Christmas  Day,  25th  of  December,  old 
style,  1642,  a  child  was  born,  an  Englishman,  at 
Woolsthorpe,  in  the  parish  of  Colsterworth,  in  Lin- 
colnshire, and  named  Isaac  Newton.     He  became 
the  father  of  a  new  philosophy.    At  his  kingly  nod 
erring  astronomical  savans  of  the  past  were  un- 
throned, retired,  and  laid  away  in  silence,  to  gather 
dust  on  their  lips  in  a  long  repose.     Under  his  all- 
grasping  scrutiny,  Nature  appeared  to  be  no  longer 
willing  to  withhold  the  long-sougkt-for  and  knowl- 
edge-coveted cause  of  the  motions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  but  delivered  it  to  the  man  she  most  sig- 
nally delighted  to  honor. 

2.  On  a  Christmas  Day,  25th  of  December,  new 
style,  1810,  a  child  was  born,  an  American,  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  in  Orchard  Street,  and  named 
William  Isaacs  Loomis.     This  child  of  God  and  of 
nature  was  moved  to  investigate  the  works  of  his 
heavenly  Father,  and  being,  as  he  believes,  divine- 
ly led  in  a  new  and  true  way,  discovered  the  origin 
of  gravitation,  and  the  way  in  which,  the  G-od  of 
nature   generated  the    motions    of    the    celestial 
bodies. 


The  gloom  of  experienced  wretched  poverty 
hangs  over  the  early  days  of  my  remembered 
being,  and  the  pleasures  of  infanthood  made 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


charming  by  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life  I  never 
knew. 

Once  I  nearly  perished  by  fire.  Then  a  watery 
grave  yawned  in  vain  to  swallow  me  up.  After- 
ward the  dangers  of  a  rocky  precipice  entangled 
my  feet,  and  gave  momentary  threatening  of  dash- 
ing out  my  life.  The  hazards  of  the  way  culmin- 
ated in  the  premature  discharge  of  a  musket,  the 
deafening  report  of  which  assured  me  that  there 
was  less  than  one  step  between  me  and  death. 
Thus  I  was  made  acquainted  with  the  alternations 
of  safety  and  danger,  with  the  experience  of  being 
scantily  and  plentifully  fed,  that  all  these  changes 
might  be  sanctified  in  the  adorning  of  a  blessed 
life.  In  the  epoch  of  Immanuel's  advent  and 
humiliation,  his  divine  sufferings  and  agonies  gave 
a  repletion  of  interest  to  the  glory  of  his  triumph  ; 
and,  in  the  annals  of  eternity,  what  has  been  or  can 
be  so  redounding  to  the  praise  of  the  Godhead  as 
the  life  of  the  Lamb  of  God  from  Bethlehem  to 
Calvary  ?  What  if  Death  did  wed  Christ  on  the 
cross,  and  Death  and  the  Prince  of  Life  became 
one  ?  What  if,  by  the  unthrobbing  heart  of  Jesus, 
hope  lay  weeping  in 'dismay?  The  resurrection! 
Yes,  the  resurrection  of  our  Redeemer  assures  us 
that  all  was  not  lost.  Have  ye  not  heard  of  that 
terrible  moan  of  triumph  when  Death,  in  darkness, 
put  his  crown  on  the  dead  Christ,  and  the  lips 
which  had  given  life  to  the  dead  were  closed  in 
silence  ?  All  this  ruin  but  preluded  a  reign  of  life 
eternal  for  the  suffering  children  of  earth,  and  to 
it  the  ragged  and  hungry,  the  sinful  and  suffering, 
may  look  through  Christ  for  a  release  from  every 
sorrow. 


1 

I 


(sy 

I 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


(L'rtucatiou, 

My  first  teacher  was  an  elderly  matron,  whose 
wrinkled  face  wore  an  air  of  sad  sobriety,  unen- 
livened by  a  smile  ;  but  she  was  full  of  teacherly 
goodness,  and  wolfish  words,  the  twin  brothers  of 
profanity,  never  defiled  her  lips  or  heated  her 
blood.  Under  her  instructions  the  class  of  which 
I  was  a  member  advanced  to  a  first  reading  lesson, 
which  was  the  first  chapter  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  Hebrew  names  of  the  memorable  worthies 
occurring  in  this  first  reading  lesson  were  to  us 
insuperable  obstacles,  which  compelled  every  one 
of  the  class  to  change  his  base  every  minute  during 
the  lesson.  My  second  teacher  was  a  bear-man, 
whose  hugs  and  slaps  gave  him  a  life-long  place  in 
the  memories  of  those  who  were  put  under  his 
care,  and  suffered  the  astonishment  and  surprise 
incidental  to  his  unexpected  thumps  and  punches. 
At  this  time  our  school  books  were  a  Spelling 
Book,  a  Bible,  used  as  a  reading  book,  and  an  Arith- 
metic. My  first  writing  lessons  were  with  a  stick 
in  sand.  Atlas  and  Geography  were  to  us  un- 
known books.  By  a  happy  incident  I  got  hold  of 
a  Grammar,  opened  to  the  verb  "  To  love,"  and 
committed  to  memory  the  persons  of  the  verb  in 
the  indicative  mood.  Not  understanding  what  the 
persons  of  the  verb,  nor  indicative  mood,  nor  what 
love  did  or  could  have  to  do  with  Grammar,  I 
cast  the  book  aside  as  wholly  useless,  and  that  was 
my  first  and  only  lesson  in  grammar  till  I  was 
over  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Attached  to  our 
school  .was  a  gymnasium,  under  the  personal  and 
sole  direction  of  our  teacher,  to  the  benefits  of 
which  the  whole  school  was  eligible,  without  a 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


money  charge.  The  agility  of  the  pupils  was 
brought  into  the  most  lively  being  by  a  fishing- 
pole,  fifteen  feet  long,  a  mahogany  ruler,  thirty 
inches  long,  and  other  beautiful  appliances,  such 
as  a  flat  hand,  a  doubled-up  fist,  and  booted  foot, 
interchangeably  used,  never  failed  to  enlarge  our 
muscles,  and  give  us  a  keen  sense  of  lively  times 
and  an  enlargement  of  our  lungs.  But  what 
appeared  to  be  an  initiation  into  mathematical 
skill,  though  unknown  to  us  at  the  time,  was  our 
gyrations,  our  master  for  the  time  being  in  his 
own  person  the  centre  of  attraction.  In  these  ex- 
ercises the  master  would  take  us  by  the  hair  of  the 
head,  or  by  both  ears,  or  by  our  coat  collars,  and 
then  we  could  describe  the  trajectory  of  a  comet 
in  less  time  than  by  geometrical  construction,  and 
our  whirling  descriptions  of  areas  of  conic  sections 
produced  the  deepest  conviction  of  the  accuracy  of 
our  demonstrations  in  the  mind  of  our  teacher  ; 
and  when  we  encountered  the  centrifugal  force  of 
our  master's  boot,  from  the  tip  of  it  we  flew  off  on 
a  tangent,  and  the  period  of  my  first  eight  years 
was  marked  on  the  records  of  time. 

®1«  SfttmA  gigbt  fan*. 

About  the  beginning  of  this  period  I  was  em- 
ployed by  a  very  respectable  hotel  keeper,  at 
whose  bar  liquor  sold  for  six  cents  per  glass,  the 
measure  of  which  was  half  a  gill  and  no  more, 
and  his  charge  for  board  was  four  dollars  per 
week  in  advance.  These  then  first-class  prices 
raised  this  hotel  to  great  respectability,  and  secur- 
ed for  it  a  superior  company  of  customers.  In 
this  hotel  I  experienced  my  first  promotion  in  the 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


activities  of  public  life,  and  was  elevated  to  the 
dignity  of  scullion  in  the  kitchen  and  sub-bar- 
tender. In  this  two-fold  office  the  world  opened 
before  me  for  the  first  time  with  plenty  to  eat,  and 
plentifully  varied  drinks.  My  dream  of  life  was 
enlivened  by  the  music  of  gobbling  turkeys  and 
cackling  hens,  while  the  sweet  incense  of  hot  rolls 
and  smoking  cups  of  coffee  regaled  my  sense  of 
smell.  Now,  indeed,  had  come  to  me  a  jubilee  of 
uproarious  joy,  a  millennium  of  good  things  with- 
out a  night,  for  we  were  accustomed  not  to  go  to 
bed  till  morning,  and  my  translation  from  penury 
and  want  to  a  bountiful  larder  and  bar  and  money 
drawer  of  my  new  home  was  all  I  could  desire, 
and  more  than  my  young  visions  of  plenty  had 
ever  dreamed  of.  I  now  mingled  with  a  class  of 
men  whose  examples  were  in  keeping  with  that 
terrible  proverb  :  "Eat  and  drink  to-day,  for  to- 
morrow we  die  ;"  men  whose  darkened  minds  pre- 
vented their  knowing  and  doing  aught  but  evil, 
and  among  them  I  learned  the  following  poetry  : 

"  Friend  of  my  soul,  this  goblet  sip, 

'Twill  chase  that  pensive  tear  ; 
'Tis  not  so  sweet  as  woman's  lip, 

But,  oh  !  'tis  more  sincere. 
Like  her  delusive  beam, 

'Twill  steal  away  the  mind  ; 
But,  truer  than  love's  dream, 
.    It  leaves  no  sting  behind." 

As  if  it  were  not  enough  to  rob  woman  of  her 
sincerity,  and  crown  her  mistress  of  delusion,  the 
men  of  our  house  took  pains  to  teach  me  that 
womanly  virtue  was  only  a  beautiful  name,  mar- 
ketable at  a  given  price,  and  sometimes  as  cheap 
and  cheaper  than  a  glass  of  brandy.  This  wild 
assault  on  the  charity  of  heaven  in  the  gift  of 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


womanly  virtue  was  but  the  outspoken  effect  of 
how  deeply  depraved  were  the  men  of  such  senti- 
ments, and,  if  warrantable,  lead  me  to  inquire 
what  kind  of  creatures  had  they  in  their  chosen 
wives  and  mothers  ! 


One  time,  and  only  once,  a  minor  came  to  our 
bar  and  called  for  strong  drink.  At  this  time  the 
master  of  the  house  and  his  lackey  were  behind 
the  bar,  and  one  of  the  most  beautifully  formed  of 
young  men.  with  rosy  cheeks,  entered  the  bar- 
room. He  was,  as  near  as  I  could  judge,  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  richly  attired  in  broad-cloth, 
a  diamond  breast-pin  glowing  on  his  bosom,  in  his 
hand  a  gold-headed  cane,  and,  standing  before  the 
bar  in  the  statelincss  of  royalty,  he  called  for  a  glass 
of  brandy!  "Boys  can  not  drink  brandy  at  this 
bar  •  you  may  have  a  glass  of  beer,"  was  the  reply 
of  my  master.  The  young  man  looked  on  us  for 
one  moment,  his  face  covered  with  a  tinge  of  red 
anger,  then  in  silent  contempt  he  turned  from  us 
and  went  his  way,  to  be  seen  no  more  at  that  bar. 
But  what  would  have  been  the  measurement  of  his 
astonishment  had  he  known  that  behind  that  bar 
stood  a  boy  who,  when  the  grass  was  growing  on 
his  master's  grave  nearly  half  a  century  afterward, 
would  bring  that  beautiful  youth  into  notice,  and 
rehearse:  "Boys  can  not  drink  brandy  at  this 
bar  ;  you  may  have  a  glass  of  beer." 


From  the  enjoyed  scenes  of  a  joyful  life  with 
men  whose  "great  aim  was  to  drive  all  kinds  of 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


care  away,  I  was  taken  and  put  in  the  employ  of  a 
New  York  broker.  The  respectability  of  his  family, 
the  lady -like  deportment  of  his  daughters,  the  quaint 
nature  of  their  mother,  and  the  stern  mandates  of 
their  father,  opened  to  my  view  new  scenes  and 
contemplations.  This  part  of  my  life,  so  unlike 
anything  in  my  former  experience,  made  me  un- 
easy with  its  cold  sobriety,  and  hate  its  moral 
bearing.  Without  one  drop  of  anything  to  cheer 
me  as  I  had  been  cheered  with  life  among  the 
jolly  drinkers,  living  less  bountiful  and  varied  than 
when  in  my  hotel  home,  tended  to  make  a  moral 
life  a  burden  to  be  avoided,  and  the  hope  of  being 
myself  again  as  I  had  been  was  not  to  be  indulged. 
When  among  the  sons  of  Bacchus  I  ranked  in 
dignity  with  them  ;  and  now  to  be  compelled  to 
acknowledge  myself  inferior  to  those  I  served,  and 
wear  the  yoke  of  their  restraints,  was  too  much  for 
my  endurance.  Invoking  the  third  change  in  my 
life  it  came,  and  I  was  advanced  to  the  office  of 
sub-clerk  in  a  grocery  store  on  Long  Island,  where 
the  best  of  liquors  sold  for  three  cents  per  glass 
with  a  cigar  thrown  in,  and  the  cigars  when  re- 
tailed sold  three  for  one  cent. 


The  most  remarkable  event  of  this  period  of  my 
life  (about  my  twelfth  year)  was  my  falling  in 
love  with  a  rich  young  lady  whose  years  were 
about  a  third  more  than  mine.  What  made  me 
love  her  so  I  do  not  know ;  but  this  I  know,  I  loved 
her.  Now  that  first  grammar  lesson,  of  which  I 
have  informed  you,  stood  before  me  in  the  verb  ".To 
love  ;"  in  a  captivating  force  that  bowed  me  abso- 


(G 

SP  INCIDENTS    AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 

II 

lutely  to  the  service  of  a  new-born  passion,  and 
now  understanding  the  verb  and  also  what  love 
had  to  do  with  grammar,  I  wished  to  conjugate  it 
until  unwearied  death  would  tear  asunder  the  con- 
jugal bond.  I  had  seen  many  a  rose-bud  of  lovely 
beauty  like  her  blooming  as  the  flowers  of  Para- 
dise along  tlie  pathway  of  life,  and  because  they 
bore  the  divine  image  they  were  more  exalted  in 
the  scale  of  being  than  the  angel  Gabriel.  He  in 
his  princedom  is  nothing  but  a  servant  j  but  they 
were  queens  of  heaven,  born  to  be  the  daughters 
of  Immanuel,  to  inherit  eternity,  and  sing  the 
anthem  of  his  holiness  in  heaven.  All  these  left 
me  as  unimpassioned  as  the  rose  of  summer  jeweled 
with  a  dew-drop  of  the  morning,  its  leaves  gather- 
ing strength  and  beauty  as  it  drinks  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun.  Then,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I 
experienced  a  passion  of  loving-kindness,  pure  as 
the  sacrificial  flames  of  holy  priests  at  God's  altars, 
and  sinless  and  unselfish  as  a  mother's  love.  Had 
I  been  a  Peri,  I  then  felt  prepared  to  repass  the 
beautiful  gates  of  Eden,  and  Cherubim  with  flam- 
ing sword,  instead  of  smiting  a  sinner,  would  pre- 
pare the  way  to  welcome  a  lover  ;  but,  alas,  the 
earth  earthy  clogged  my  way,  and  not  knowing 
what  else  to  do,  I  never  told  her  of  my  adoration 
of  the  beautiful,  but  embalmed  her  in  the  young 
lover's  dream. 

In  this  grocery  my  knowledge  increased,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  I  was  able  to  take  four  drams 
a  day  without  a  scruple.  Here  I  became  a  com- 
panion of  men  who  claimed  to  be  the  truly  Scrip- 
ture temperance  men,  who  never  scrupled  to  take 


a   dram,    and    always    for    their   stomach's    sake. 
What  to  the  uninitiated  might  appear  droll,  this 


g-     -^ 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


society  of  men  would  commend  the  sanctity  of 
their  lives  to  the  diligent  observance  of  church 
members,  men  who  claimed  to  be  pure-minded  and 
religious.  Of  this  company  who  frequented  our 
store,  some  of  them  had  graduated  from  State 
prisons,  and  others  were  from  the  respectable  to 
the  lowest  walks  of  life  ;  but  the  use  of  the  three 
cent  rum  sling  slung  all  distinction  to  the  four 
winds,  blending  us  in.  the  closest  brotherly  union. 
When  the  most  perfect  of  our  customers  were  con- 
gregated in  the  store  by  night,  as  they  often  met, 
under  the  operation  of  the  spirits  they  became  sur- 
prisingly learned  and  eloquent,  and  in  these  times 
the  law  and  religious  commentaries  of  lawyers  and 
divines  were  transcended  in  legal  lore  and  sacred 
criticism,  and  were  consigned  to  an  age  of  dark- 
ness. This  company  of  immortals  praised  their 
principles  of  unwavering  virtue  and  priceless  honor, 
from  which  they  could  not  be  persuaded  to  part, 
except  the  telling  of  a  lie  would  do  more  good 
than  the  truth.  Such  a  sacrifice  might  be  endured, 
if  it  did  not  degenerate  into  a  habit.  These  patrons 
of  the  rare  graces  also  concluded  that  it  was  wrong 
to  take  strong  drink  only  when  you  wanted  it. 
Never  to  fight  and  quarrel,  only  in  manly  self- 
defense  ;  never  to  curse  and  swear,  only  when  it 
became  necessary  to  exhibit  a  proper  resentment 
in  righteous  indignation. 

One  more  plunge  in  the  ways  of  evil  and  change 
of  employment,  and  the  scene  opens  in  a  gambling- 
house,  in  which  I  was  installed  game-keeper  and 
general  runner.  Occasionally  it  came  to  my  mind  : 
There  is  something  better  to  be  enjoyed  than  I  am 
in  quest  of.  But  what  could  I  do  or  know  in  my 
surroundings?  No  men  of  God  were  to  be  found  in 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


the  paths  I  pursued,  and  darkness,,  deep  and  awful, 
buried  me  in  its  gloom.  Paganism  had  its  false 
gods  and  altars  of  devotion,  and  times  for  worship, 
but  among  the  class  I  had  moved  in  for  years  not 
even  the  name  of  a  false  deity  was  known,  but  to 
be  profanely  used  in  cursing,  and  the  cultivation  of 
godless  sensibility  absolved  from  all  future  dread  of 
woe.  In  my  new  vocation  I  at  first  experienced 
delight  in  new  scenes,  surrounded  by  well-dressed 
men.  Often  seeing  splendid  jewelry  and  the  pos- 
sessors of  large  sums  of  money,  I  hoped  for  bright 
days  to  dawn  in  showers  of  gold,  and  the  reveling 
joys  of  a  gambler's  life  ;  was  growing  to  be  a  lover 
of  pleasure  and  hater  of  Grod ;  but  despite  the  ab- 
scence  from  the  good,  the  resulting  destiny  of  a  life 
wasted  in  sin  would  haunt  me  like  a  ghost  of  evil. 
At  one  time  I  was  as  godless  in  my  thoughts  as 
though  atheism  had  succeeded  in  obliterating  from 
the  facts  of  nature  the  evidence  of  the  existence  of 
the  Crezfer,  and  then  would  rush  in  upon  my  soul 
so  deepv  a  sense  of  guilt,  that  the  miseries  of  the 
lost  seemed  to  be  my  impending  lot.  I  had  known 
of  the  dying  unpardoned  gambler  in  the  grasp  of  the 
mania  a  potu,  suffering  in  his  delirium  the  antici- 
pated horrors  of  damnation,  and  trembling  with  the 
thought  that  my  chosen  path  led  to  that  same  re- 
sult, and  fearing  lest  I  at  last  should  find  a  place 
and  burial  in  that  hell  that  my  companions  had  so 
often  thundered  in  my  hearing,  I  forsook  the  game- 
keeper's life,  and  determined  to  be  something.  I 
knew  not  what,  or  when,  or  how. 


In  the    seventeenth  year  of  my  life  I  was  in- 
dentured to  Mr.  Michael  V.  Cregier,  of  the  city  of 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN  MY   LIFE. 


New  York,  to  learn  the  art  and  mystery  of  piano- 
forte making.  Under  his  care  and  instructions  the 
barbarian  boy  was  inducted  in  ways  of  morality, 
and  advanced  in  well-being  and  mechanical  skill. 
My  will  being  in  almost  complete  submission  to  my 
master  and  his  wife,  I  tendered  to  them  the  most 
perfect  obedience,  and  the  yoke  of  their  restraints 
I  suffered  with  patience  and  to  much  profit  in  after- 
life. Not  one  of  my  former  employers  but  had  suf- 
fered some  through  my  pilfering,  though  not  enough 
to  balance  my  claim  on  them  for  unrequited  labor  ; 
but  during  my  apprenticeship  I  did  not  steal  to  the 
value  of  a  cent.  So  determined  was  I  to  lead  a 
different  life,  and  so  complete  my  conquest  over 
some  of  my  former  sins,  that  honesty  and  obedience 
became  pleasant  and  desirable  duties,  which  I  ren- 
dered to  every  one  entitled  to  my  service. 


. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  1776,  our  republican 
fathers,  of  blessed  memory,  called  the  world  to  a 
new  cause  of  joy,  by  their  declaration  of  freedom, 
and  then  began  a  nation,  whose  course  was  destined 
to  gather  under  its  shield  a  greater  number  of  happy 
families  than  had  ever  before  found  pleasant  homes 
in  freedom's  bower.  On  the  anniversary  of  that 
great  day,  July  4,  1828,  feeling  a  desire  for  the  en- 
largement of  my  freedom,  and  the  joy  in  hope  of 
making  one  of  the  happy  families  of  the  land,  I 
asked  an  orphan  girl  of  the  name  of  Hannah 
Marshall  to  take  a  walk  with  me  and  enjoy  the 
pleasures  of  the  day.  During  that  walk  our  hearts 
became  so  entangled  as  never  to  be  separated,  and, 
on  the  23d  of  February,  1829,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wm. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


Isaacs  Loomis  began  to  be  among  the  actualities 
of  married  life.  I  had  heard  of  the  charms  of  soli- 
tude, and  a  sigh  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilder- 
ness; but  the  solitude  of  being  alone,  with  your 
sweetheart  with  you,  and  the  lodge  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  conjugal  felicity,  was  more  than  poetry  to 
me,  and  nearer  paradise  than  ever  before.  The 
fruit  of  this  marriage  had  been  coveted  by  kings, 
who  had  counted  children  a  more  glorious  portion 
than  crowns  and  dominions,  whose  hopes,  however 
royal,  were  vain  ;  but  our  lot  was  to  see  eight  kin- 
dlings of  God's  immortality  clothed  in  the  vestments 
of  our  flesh,  reclining  on  their  mother's  bosom  for 
the  nourishment  of  life.  Six  of  our  children  were 
brought  up  at  our  table,  surrounded  with  the  en- 
joyments of  a  pleasant  home,  and  were  trained  to 
read  the  Bible  in  course  as  a  part  of  our  daily 
family  devotion.  Our  first  child  (deceased)  and 
fifth  child  (deceased)  and  eighth  child  were  daugh- 
ters. Gather  the  rose-buds  of  infant  beauty,  and 
transplant  the  gems  of  immortality  to  the  Savior's 
crown,  was  the  decree  of  the  Almighty,  and  our 
first  and  fifth  child  fell  from  their  mother's  bosom 
into  the  Redeemer's  arms.  Our  fourth  child,  when 
he  had  attained  the  years  of  a  man,  had  his  hopes 
in  this  temporal  life  destroyed  by  the  angel  of 
death.  But  there  is  a  record  called  the  Lamb's 
Book  of  Life,  in  which,  if  a  name  be  written,  it  is 
the  name  of  an  heir  of  the  blessings  of  eternity, 
whose  well-being  is  identical  with  the  well-being 
of  the  Savior.  This  son  having  asked  for  and  by 
faith  obtained  a  name  and  place  in  that  Book,  by 
confessing  Christ  before  men,  and  having  been  bap- 
tized into  his  name,  what  can  await  him  but 
"Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,"  when  Jesus 


INCIDENTS   AND   PACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


shall  come  the  second  time  without  sin  unto  sal- 
vation ? 


My  wife  was  naturally  opposed  to  frivolousness  ; 
and  belief  in  the  good  truth  of  God,  as  set  forth  in 
the  divine  Scriptures,  was  all-commanding,  and  she 
earnestly  desired  to  be  made  a  follower  of  the 
Lamb  ;  but  I  was  indifferent  to  that  holy  estate, 
while  I  did  not  care  for  Jesus,  led  me  recklessly  in 
the  way  that  leads  at  last  to  the  lament  of  the  loss 
of  heaven.  At  her  request  I  was  induced  to  attend 
a  meeting.  In  giving  my  consent,  I  thought  only 
of  the  novelty  of  the  occasion,  and  went  solely  for 
the  fun  of  seeing  the  antics  of  the  simpletons,  and 
to  laugh  at  their  foolishness.  Esteeming  the  ideas 
of  sport  and  frolic  supreme,  there  was  not  a  place 
on  the  earth,  not  excepting  God's  sanctuaries,  too 
sacred  for  its  enjoyment,  and  in  this  way  possessed 
I  found  myself  surrounded  with  the  solemnity  of  a 
company  of  men  and  women,  whose  blood-bought 
souls  worshiped  God  with  power.  When  the  final 
amen  of  that  meeting,  its  services,  and  God's  work 
in  it,  had  passed  into  history,  my  Creator  heard  me 
confessing  my  sins,  and  saw  me  feeling  the  need  of 
Jesus.  A  change  for  good  and  God-  ward  had  come, 
the  light  appeared,  and  henceforth  the  bond-slave 
of  sin  resolved  to  battle  for  life,  liberty,  and  eternal 
happiness.  Nearly  four  months  afterward,  a  morn- 
ing bright,  resplendent  with  the  heavenly  light  of 
the  Sun  of  righteousness,  broke  in  upon  the  dark- 
ness of  my  mind.  My  soul,  receiving  the  spirit  of 
a  freeman  in  Christ,  was  quickened  into  spiritual 
joy,  and  from  that  hour  to  this  Jesus  Christ  has 
been  the  repository  of  my  heart  and  hopes. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


to  tit* 

Not  long  after  the  beginning  of  my  acquaintance 
with  Jesus  Christ,  and  companionship  with  the 
Lord's  people,  I  was  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  had  brooded  over  me  and  made  me  a  child  of 
heaven,  to  preach  the  gospel.  The  idea  of  God  call- 
ing such  a  poor  unlearned  creature  as  I  was  appear- 
ed as  practicable  as  his  calling  the  born  dumb  to 
sing  his  praises,  both  of  which  are  within  the  possi- 
bilities of  divine  power ;  but  that  he  could  use  me 
in  the  illustrious  work  of  winning  souls  by  preach- 
ing was  with  me  a  great  question.  I  had  read  and 
learned  so  little  of  anything  that  was  good  and 
true,  had  been  so  lately  brought  into  the  light  and 
knowledge  of  salvation,  that  if  I  preach  the  gospel 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  sent  down  from  heaven  God 
must  create  a  new  way  in  this  desert  of  my  mind, 
and  lead  me  in  a  wilderness  in  which  I  had  no  ca- 
pacity to  walk.  While  I  was  deliberating  in  won- 
der, the  passage,  "  All  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  believeth,  inspired  me  with  strength  and  hope. 
I  soon  began  to  experience  that  a  heart  given  to  the 
dear  Savior,  warmed  by  his  love,  and  moved  by  it 
with  love  for  sinners,  was  one  of  the  means  to  build 
up  the  glory  of  Christ  among  men,  that  the  excel- 
lency of  the  power  should  be  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  not  in  the  excellency  of  words  which  man's 
wisdom  teaches.  Being  anxiously  desirous  to  set 
forth  the  glad  and  heaven-ennobling  tidings  of  sal- 
vation in  the  most  tender  and  effectual  manner,  I 
resolved  to  educate  myself  to  a  degree  that  might 
glorify  my  Creator,  and  cause  some  of  my  race  to 
hear  th$  word  of  God  in  its  munificent  gifts  of 
promise  to  the  sinful  on  their  believing.  Auxiliary 


18 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


to  this  great  aim  of  my  life,  I  purchased  a  Bible, 
Buck's  Theological  Dictionary,  and  Dr.  A.  Clark's 
Commentary  on  the  New  Testament.  The  no-book 
course  of  so  much  of  my  former  life  had  induced 
in  me  a  perfect  dislike  of  books,  and  the  incident 
weariness  of  study  was  slavery  indeed.  My  ca- 
pacity for  compositions  was  limited  in  my  new  field 
of  thought  to  but  few  words,  then  followed  a  hard, 
tedious  time  of  thinking  with  the  gain  of  a  few 
words  more.  Encompassed  with  these  difficulties, 
I  laboriously  pursued  my  way  to  the  prize  before 
me,  over  a  more  than  corduroy  road  of  ups  and 
downs,  rising  at  four  in  the  morning  to  study  the 
word  of  God  by  lamplight.  To  enlarge  my  means 
of  giving  to  the  heirs  of  glory  gems  of  thought  that 
would  tend  to  make  them  wish  they  were  shouting 
with  the  harpists  of  heaven,  I  acquired  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  English,  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin,  French, 
German,  and  Spanish  languages  ;  and  each  one  of 
said  languages  has  contributed  to  increase  the 
powers  of  my  mind  and  the  emotions  of  my  soul. 

®0rttwt*0  SMat  and  triumph* 

In  deference  to  human  authority,  which  is  sup- 
ported by  the  best  of  reasons,  I  applied  for  license 
to  preach  ;  and  my  first  rebut  was  :  "  What  a  fool 
you  are !  Your  forehead  is  so  low  that  thoughts 
have  no  room  to  jump  up  and  down  in  your  brains." 
I  was,  however,  admitted  to  the  dangers  of  trial 
sermons,  and  the  next  stinger  was  :  "William,  there 
is  no  use  of  your  trying  to  acquire  the  art  of 
preaching,  your  articulation  is  so  bad,  you  chew 
your  words  to  such  a  degree  that  it  is  difficult  to 
understand  you."  One  more  lunge,  right  through 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


my  heart,  and  the  agony  was  over.  My  friend  and 
companion,  an  old  and  holy  man,  whose  gentle- 
ness of  manners  made  him  appear  lovely,  had  rec- 
ommended me  for  license  to  preach,  and  on  our 
way  home  from  one  of  the  appointments  of  my 
course,  opened  his  mouth  and  said:  "William,  I 
am  sorry  that  I  have  had  anything  to  do  in  com- 
mending you  for  the  office  of  a  preacher,  you  are 
mentally  incompetent  to  comprehend  the  truth  of 
the  gospel,  so  as  to  communicate  it  to  the  edifica- 
tion of  men  ;  you  will  be  ever  learning,  and  never 
able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  This 
was  to  me  agony  indeed,  because  in  my  medita- 
tions I  had  prophetically  foreseen  success  crowning 
my  efforts,  and  kings  and  priests  of  God  and  the 
Lamb  sitting  at  my  feet  in  transports  of  delight, 
hearing  my  announcement  of  the  heaven-derived 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Then  looking  on  my  con- 
gregation, I  saw  their  penitent  tears,  and  heard 
their  cry  for  pardon,  hope,  and  heaven,  and  then 
to  be  told  by  the  man  whom  I  esteemed  to  be  my 
best  earthly  man- friend,  "You  are  mentally  in- 
competent to  become  a  minister,"  was  like  a  chal- 
ice of  poisoned  hemlock  to  my  hopes.  Oh,  how  it 
did  wring  my  heart,  and  ring  in  my  ears,  and  hung 
the  black  pall  of  desolation  on  my  fondest,  holiest 
aspirations !  I  had  been  a  vagabond  in  sin,  and 
had  seen  men  of  wickedness  make  a  chowder  of 
virtue  and  honor,  and  devour  it  as  if  the  feast  had 
been  one  of  purity  ;  and  those  guilty  revelers  in 
evil  had  never  questioned  my  mental  ability  and 
eligibility  to  be  one  of  their  chosen  number  for  a 
life-course  of  sinful  pleasure.  I  had  passed  from 
death  unto  life,  and  going  up  the  hill  of  hope,  a 
voice  from  the  celesti&l  world  urged  me  with,  "Go 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


preach  the  gospel ;"  and  in.  the  surroundings  of 
those  deeply  solemn  circumstances,  my  heart  given 
up  to  the  work,  to  be  told  :  "  You  can  never  make 
a  minister  of  Christ,"  was  sounding  the  loss  of  the 
crown  of  my  hope.  One  more  opportunity  was 
granted  me  to  try  my  gift,  which  was  to  be  the 
last  before  my  case  would  be  called  up  by  those 
who  had  it  in  their  power  to  bind  on  earth  what 
God  had  bound  in  heaven,  or,  through  their  igno- 
rance, throw  to  the  winds  my  application  for  their 
indorsement  of  the  divine  decree. 

It  was  in  1832,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the 
cholera  was  raging,  and  sorrowful  sadness  in  its 
carnival  of  gloom  sat  throned  on  every  face.  On 
our  way  to  the  meeting-house,  I  said  to  my  friend 
who  accompanied  me  in  my  preaching  trials  :  "  You 
will  take  the  lead  in  the  service,  and  I  will  follow  you." 
He  replied :  "  No ;  because  you  know,  William, 
that  it  is  uncertain  whether  you  preach  five  minutes 
or  twenty.  Therefore  you  will  take  the  lead,  and 
if  you  break  down  I  will  come  to  your  support." 
We  reached  the  meeting-house,  and  our  eager  eyes 
were  filled  with  the  sight  of  a  crowd.  Many  of  the 
hearers  were  clad  in  robes  of  deep  mourning,  and 
all  felt  that  the  wing  of  the  angel  of  death  over- 
shadowed us.  I  rose  to  speak  to  a  company  of  men 
and  women,  whose  tearful  eyes  and  grief-stricken 
faces  seemed  to  speak  to  me,  and  say :  Young  man, 
if  you  have  any  words  of  consolation,  say  on  ;  for 
God's  sake,  give  us  words^of  comfort.  Eyes  of  the 
creatures  made  in  the  divine  image  never  before  so 
glanced  on  me.  And  by  one  of  those  extraordinary 
manifestations  in  which  it  was  shown  that  the  ex- 
cellency of  the  power  was^fiod  and  not  of  man, 
the  whole  assembly  was  bathW  in  tears.  For  nearly 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE.  21 

two  hours,  I  charmed  that  congregation  in  a  heav- 
enly place  ;  then  during  that  service  I  did  hear  the 
kings  and  priests  of  God  and  the  Lamb  shouting 
hallelujah  ;  I  did  see  sinners  in  tears,  imploring  the 
God  and  Savior  of  us  to  have  mercy  on  them,  and 
give  them  hope  and  home  in  heaven.  We  were  on 
our  way  home  once  more,  and  my  friend  said :  "  Wil- 
liam, I  will  give  up  my  former  opinion  of  you. 
Your  words  are  understood  by  your  hearers,  your 
brains  are  big  enough  ;  you  do  understand  the 
truth,  and  can  communicate  it  understandingly,  and 
all  my  fondest  hopes  would  be  gratified  if  I  could 
change  prospects  with  you." 

In  process  of  time  I  was  examined  by  a  regu- 
larly constituted  council  of  Baptist  ministers ;  passed 
a  creditable  examination ;  was  counted  worthy  to 
take  rank  with  the  ministers  of  Jesus,  and  Rev. 
Duncan  Dunbar,  pastor  of  the  Macdougal  Street 
Baptist  Church,  preached  the  ordination  sermon.  I 
projected  a  course  of  studies,  embracing  that  of 
medical  science,  intending,  if  the  opportunity  ever 
came  to  hand,  to  use  it  in  procuring  a  degree  of 
M.  D.  I  studied  a  plurality  of  authors  on  anatomy 
and  physiology  ;  numerous  authors  on  diseases  of  the 
lungs,  stomach,  and  bowels  ;  and  on  some  of  the  dis- 
eases which  render  so  many  of  human  kind  invalids 
through  life.  I  read  treatises  on  their  cause  and 
treatment  by  Allopaths,  Homoeopaths,  Hydropaths, 
and  Eclectics,  and  the  knowledge  derived  was  of 
the  most  essential  benefit' to  me. 

So  far  in  my  ministry,  I  have  whirled  through 
many  changes  and  been  pastor  of  fifteen  churches. 
In  one  revival  fifty-eight  converts  came  to  Jesus, 
and  in'  another  fifty-t^o.  In  one  period  of  three 
years  one  hundredjj^^s  were  introduced  to  the 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


knowledge  of  Jesus,  and  I  baptized  them  ;  and  but 
for  the  opposition  of  other  parties,  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  above  numbers  would  have  been 
three  times  as  large.  In  another  revival  we  lost 
more  than  we  gained  ;  that  is,  because  we  were  the 
poorest,  least  honorable,  the  greater  number  of  our 
converts  joined  a  richer  and  more  popular  church, 
leaving  us  to  lament  the  loss  of  those  who,  in  join- 
ing where  they  did,  were  lost  to  all  usefulness 
among  the  multitude  they  joined.  In  the  year 
1840  I  began  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
from  the  original  Greek.  In  the  progress  of  my 
work  I  became  understandingly  convinced  that  the 
translators  of  King  James's  version,  which  has 
come  to  be  the  generally  accepted  English  Bible, 
had  rendered  some  of  the  passages  of  holy  writ  in 
such  simplicity,  power,  and  beauty,  as  to  forbid 
even  the  hope  of  a  greater  degree  of  perfection. 
Being  in  communion  with  the  original  Scriptures, 
it  gave  to  me  a  power  and  insight  to  justify  a 
comparison  with  it  and  certain  translations  ;  and 
using  the  attainments,  it  was  made  to  appear  that 
some  of  the  passages  which  had  been  rendered  by 
the  king's  translators  were  put  to  shame  when 
placed  in  comparison  with  corresponding  passages 
in  the  Rhemish  (Roman  Catholic)  Testament  and 
Douay  Bible.  Advancing,  I  was  electrified  with 
divine  delight,  in  learning  new  beauties  of  the  in- 
spired Greek,  which  the  king's  translators  had  not 
introduced  into  their  version,  the  knowledge  of 
which  could  only  tend  to  make  the  people  of  God 
love  their  God  and  Savior  and  their  Bible  more 
intelligently.  A  CORRECT  TRANSLATION  WOULD 
HAVE  DISCLOSED  THE  KNOWLEDGE  OP 


OWLEE 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


it  of  tfo 

The  translators  of  the  commonly  received  Eng- 
lish Bible,  otherwise  known  as  King  James's  ver- 
sion, finished  and  gave  to  their  nation  their  copy 
of  the  English  Scriptures  A.  D.  1611.  The  reader 
may  learn  from  the  chronology  and  fact,  that  if  the 
Hebrew  writers  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  had,  by 
virtue  of  the  divine  inspiration  by  which  they  were 
guided,  made  any  allusion  to  any  one  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  moving  in  or  having  an  orbit,  the  above 
translators,  if  of  the  school  of  Ptolemy,  their  error 
perverting  their  understanding,  could  not  under- 
stand what  was  meant,  and  consequently  would 
render  their  text  accordingly,  and  the  fact  of 
nature,  a  planetary  orbit,  would  not  be  brought  to 
light.  This,  I  claim,  was  the  case,  and  that  the 
prophet  Isaiah  was  the  first  man  to  intimate  the 
fact  of  the  ORBIT  of  the  earth.  I  further  aver,  that 
when  we  shall  be  favored  with  a  translation  that 
shall  as  nearly  as  possible  equal  the  divinely  in- 
spired originals,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  God  of 
nature,  and  the  God  of  the  Bible,  the  One  I  AM,  in 
respect  to  the  truly  natural  sciences,  inspired  to  a 
certain  degree  the  prophets  and  apostles  in  their 
allusions  to  the  facts  of  nature,  and  that  they 
opened  the  way  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  of 
nature  as  well  as  they  did  to  the  knowledge  of 
theological  truth. 


The  prophet  Isaiah  flourished  about  eight  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ.  He  taught  in  Hebrew  a 
fact  of  nature,  and  brought  to  the  knowledge  of 
his  countrymen  the  orbit  of  the  earth.  Pythago- 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN  MY   LIFE. 


ras  flourished  about  six  hundred  years  before 
Christ.  He  taught  his  countrymen  and  others 
that  the  earth  has  an  orbit ;  but  the  teaching  was 
denounced  as  false,  and  its  discloser  was  counted  by 
his  countrymen  a  fool  or  madman.  After  this,  for 
about  twenty  centuries,  the  dogma  of  a  fixed  earth 
generally  prevailed,  and  the  most  intelligent  of 
men  gave  the  untruth  of  astronomy  as  hearty  a 
welcome  as  ever  has  been  accorded  to  the  Coper- 
nican-Newtonian  Astronomy.  About  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1500,  Copernicus,  an  ecclesiastic  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  also  a  mathematician, 
announced  his  discovery  of  the  orbital  motions  of 
the  planets,  and  in  1543  he  informed  Pope  Paulus 
III.  that  he  had  kept  his  book,  which  contained  an 
exposition  of  planetary  motions,  by  him  for  four 
times  the  nine  years  recommended  by  Horace. 

In  1666  the  discovery  of  universal  gravitation 
was  made  by  Isaac  Newton.  For  the  want  of  this 
or  some  other  force  it  was  not  possible  to  give  a 
geometrical  demonstration  of  the  motion  of  the 
earth  in  an  orbital  path,  nor  the  law  of  its  motion. 
Seventeen  years  after  this,  or  in  1683,  Newton 
sent  to  the  Royal  Society,  in  London,  his  laws  on 
the  orbital  motions  of  the  primary  planets.  In 
1684  Newton  assured  Halley  that  the  orbital  mo- 
tions of  the  primary  planets  were  demonstrated 
most  perfectly.  Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  had  such  a  result  been  reached,  and  never 
before  had  men's  eyes  been  opened  to  see  so  nearly 
the  truth.  From  the  forementioned  dates  it  fol- 
lows, that,  while  the  translators  of  our  common 
English  Bible  had  opportunities  to  know  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Copernicus'  announcement  that 
the  earth  moved  in  an  orljj|  round  the  sun,  they 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


were  too  early,  by  more  than  seventy-three  years, 
to  avail  themselves  of  any  of  Newton's  revelations 
of  science  to  help  them  in  understanding  those 
parts  of  the  inspired  word  of  God  which  refer  to 
the  celestial  science  of  astronomy.  Hence,  when 
the  translators  came  to  the  Hebrew  text,  Isaiah  xl., 
23,  which  was  destined  to  give  to  mankind  the  in- 
timation of  the  existence  of  the  orbit  of  the  earth, 
they  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  None  of  them  are 
known  to  have  been  believers  in  the  Copernican 
theory  ;  they  were,  if  anything  in  this  science,  fol- 
lowers of  the  Ptolemaic  system,  and  it  is  incontro- 
vertibly  certain  that  they  had  never  heard  of  nor 
seen  a  geometrical  demonstration  of  the  earth 
moving  in  an  orbit ;  they  were  all  in  their  graves 
before  Newton  gave  it  to  the  world. 

ISAIAH  xl.,  VERSE  23. 

"It  is  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the 
earth." 

The  above  passage  is  emphatically  astronomical, 
and  should  have  been  rendered,  "It  is  he  that  sit- 
teth upon  the  orbit  of  the  earth  ;"  and  thus  justly 
rendered  leads  to  the  result  that  Isaiah  was  a 
prophet  of  God,  and  grand  primate  of  nature,  in 
teaching  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  the  orbit  of 
the  earth.  Now,  suppose  the  translators  of  King 
James's  version  had,  unwittingly  or  otherwise,  in- 
stead of  giving  the  text  as  they  have,  rendered  it : 
"  It  is  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  ORBIT  of  the  earth  ;" 
what  an  eye-opener  it  would  have  been  to  the 
learned  of  that  day  ;  and  what  a  help  for  Newton 
to  have  referred  to  the  translation  and  to  this  He- 
brew text  of  Isaiah  to  confirm  his  demonstration, 
that  the  earth,,  according  to  God's  inspired  book, 


INCIDENTS   AND  FACTS   IN  MY  LIFE. 


moves  in  an  orbit.  However  obscure  such  a  ren- 
dering might  have  been  to  the  men  of  1611,  the 
men  under  Newton  in  1684,  the  true  men  and  the 
good  men  would  have  seen  it  shining  in  a  glorious 
array  of  brightness,  and,  clasping  the  Bible  afresh 
to  their  hearts,  would  have  thanked  God  that  its 
light  disclosed  a  fact  of  nature  two  thousand  four 
hundred  and  eighty-four  years  before  Newton  de- 
monstrated it  to  the  satisfaction  of  men.  It  is  ad- 
mitted that  the  translation  as  contended  for  would 
have  been  very  mysterious  to  the  men  of  1611, 
and  also  unintelligible  to  the  world  of  English 
readers ;  but  what  of  that,  could  it  have  been 
more  so  than  was  the  saying  of  Job,  that  "  God 
suspends  the  earth  in  the  open  space  ?" 

Sfo 

The  God  of  the  Bible  is  the  author  of  the  crea- 
tion, and  hence  because  he  inspires  in  religion, 
leaving  us  not  to  the  cogitations  of  our  own  igno- 
rance, but  specially  illuminates  us  to  do  his  will,  I 
incline  to  the  opinion,  and  think  it  reasonable,  that 
he  may  make  a  philosopher  in  the  same  way  that 
he  does  a  Christian,  by  special  illumination,  inspir- 
ing and  revealing  to  such  the  knowledge  of  natu- 
ral astronomy.  The  cautious,  while  assenting  to 
the  possibility  of  such  a  revelation,  would  most 
likely  question  its  existence ;  but  God  did  make 
mechanics  by  special  inspiration  and  revelation, 
and  pollylinguists  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
the  probability  of  his  making  an  apostle  of  nature 
is  within  the  limits  of  a  just  expectation.  In  the 
book  of  Exodus,  chap,  xxi.,  you  may  read  that 
Bezaleel  and  others,  by  special  inspiration  and 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS  IN   MY  LIFE. 


revelation,  were  made  lapidaries,  workers  in  wood 
and  gold,  and  all  kinds  of  mechanical  craft,  in 
order  to  be  able  to  construct  the  tabernacle,  ark  of 
the  testimony,  and  mercy-seat ;  without  doubt,  if  I 
give  the  celestial  credentials  of  my  call,  I  may  in- 
dulge the  hope  that  there  are  living  men  who  will 
be  benefited  by  my  revelations  of  the  way  of  the 
Lord  in  nature. 

About  the  time  of  the  autumnal  equinox,  in  the 
year  1846,  being  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  South 
Adams  Baptist  Church,  in  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  occupying  a  dwelling-house,  now  owned 
by  Hon.  Daniel  Upton,  I  sat  alone  in  the  dining- 
room  of  our  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  the  evening, 
meditating  in  reference  to  what  next  I  should  un- 
dertake to  advance  me  in  the  ways  of  truth.  My 
loneliness  and  the  quiet  of  near  nine  P.  M.  in  a 
country  place  was  favorable  to  my  longing  to  know 
more.  My  state  of  mind  was  much  intensified  by 
there  coming  upon  me  an  exceeding  thirst  for 
another  deeper  drink  of  the  waters  of  the  true 
philosophy  which  so  ennobles  the  human  mind,  and 
opens  the  ways  of  God  to  the  perception  and  un- 
derstanding of  his  children.  Under  the  excitement 
of  that  thirst  I  mentally  inquired  :  "In  what  direc- 
tion shall  I  go  in  pursuit  of  an  increase  of  more 
knowledge?"  And  a  voice  answered  :  "Go  STUDY 
ASTRONOMY  !"  The  singularity  of  this  way  in 
calling  me  to  a  study  so  entirely  new  to  me  was 
very  exciting ;  and  being  awed  into  inclination  to 
obey,  and  the  belief  that  something  good  would 
come  of  it  to  my  race,  without  conferring  with  any 
one,  I  resolved  to  follow  the  path  in  which  I  had 
been  so  mysteriously  called  to  labor  in,  and  a  life- 
long work  had  begun.  The  next  day  I  went  into 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS  IN  MY   LIFE. 


the  village  of  South  Adams,  to  the  cabinet  work- 
shop of  Deacon  Elisha  Ingraham,  and  was  aided  by 
him  in  constructing  a  model  with  four  arms,  each 
one  of  them  two  feet  long,  two  inches  wide,  of 
board  thickness,  and  at  right  angles  to  each  other. 
Within  an  inch  of  the  outside  ends  of  these  arms  I 
inserted  wires,  six  inches  long,  to  support  balls 
which  I  cut  from  the  posts  of  an  old  bedstead  ; 
mounted  them  on  the  wires,  to  represent  in  one 
view  the  places  of  the  earth  at  the  beginning  of 
the  four  astronomical  seasons  of  the  year,  and 
placed  a  candle  in  the  centre  of  the  model  to  rep- 
resent the  sun.  In  this  manner  prepared,  I  anx- 
iously waited  for  the  shadows  of  evening  and  that 
great  first  philosophical  night  of  my  existence.  It 
came ;  and  the  darkness  falling  so  gently  on  the 
clear  atmosphere  permitted  the  stars  to  shine  in 
the  pomp  of  their  twinkling  glory,  and,  also,  in  the 
centre  of  my  model,  in  the  plane  of  the  centres 
of  the  four  balls  the  centre  of  the  light  of  a  tiny 
candle  was  graduated,  so  that  the  flame  of  the 
candle  might  shine  as  nearly  as  possible  on  a 
hemisphere  of  each  one  of  the  balls.  However 
insignificant  my  model  to  represent  the  earth  and 
its  motions,  and  the  tiny  candle  to  represent  the 
sun,  by  their  agency  I  was  about  to  enter  into  a 
vision  of  the  creation,  the  amplitude  of  which  is  as 
immeasurable  as  the  eternity  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  and  its  grandeur  the  imprint  of  his  being 
and  power. 

§%  <|a'0t  (Sxprnweut 

I  looked  for  the  north  star,  which  was  sufficient- 
ly near  the  north  pole  of  the  heavens  to  answer 
the  purpose,  bent  the  wires  of  the  model,  so  that 


— 

INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE.  29 

their  upper  ends  pointed  to  the  star,  the  wires 
coinciding  with  the  line  of  direction,  and  by  this 
means  I  was  enabled  approximately  to  mount  the 
balls  of  the  model  on  axes,  having  inclinations  cor- 
responding with  the  inclination  of  the  axis  of  the 
earth,  and  from  the  representation  I  learned  how 
much  the  axis  of  the  earth  is  inclined  from  a  per- 
pendicular line,  and  how  the  prolongation  of  the 
earth's  axis,  north  and  south  to  the  stars,  consti- 
tutes the  axis  of  the  heavens,  around  which  the 
whole  starry  heavens  appear  to  move  in  the  time 
of  a  revolution  of  the  earth  on  its  axis. 


I  began  to  revolve  one  of  the  balls  (call  it  a 
globe),  representing  the  earth,  around  the  candle 
representing  the  sun,  being  very  careful  to  keep 
the  north  pole  of  the  globe  pointing  to  the  north 
star  during  the  entire  revolution  of  360°,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  parallelism  of  the  earth's  axis 
dawned  on  my  eyes  and  mind. 


I  then  placed  the  ball,  its  north  pole  pointing  to 
the  north  star,  so  that  a  line  joining  the  centres  of 
the  flame  of  the  candle  and  the  ball  would  be  per- 
pendicular to  the  axis  of  the  ball,  and  now  the 
light  of  the  candle  shone  on  one  half  of  the  ball 
from  one  to  the  other  of  its  poles,  like  the  sun 
shines  at  the  time  of  the  equinoxes  on  the  earth. 
This  opened  the  way  to  see  the  truth  of  nature, 
and  in  imagination  I  enlarged  the  candle  to  agnn, 
the  ball  to  the  earth,  and  placed  myself  in  the 
open  space,  and  by  the  eye  of  my  mind  I  saw  the 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS  IN  MY  LIFE. 


sun  sliming  on  the  day  of  the  autumnal  equinox 
sidewise  on  the  earth,  illuminating  one  of  its 
hemispheres  from  pole  to  pole,  excepting  refrac- 
tion, while  the  other  hemisphere  of  the  earth  was 
in  darkness.  This  was  as  clearly  demonstrated  to 
my  mind  as  if  I  had  with  my  eyes  of  flesh  beheld 
it.  What  moments  of  impassioned  rapture  I  then 
enjoyed  !  The  glory  of  the  facts  of  nature  shone 
on  my  path  where  all  had  been  dark  before. 


I  then  placed  the  four  balls  in  position  on  my 
model,  their  north  poles  pointing  to  the  north  star, 
and  the  distances  of  the  centres  of  the  globes  from 
each  other  were  90P.  I  then  took  a  position  facing 
the  north  star,  and  placed  my  model  before  me  as 
above  described,  and  in  one  view  I  saw  how  the 
earth  was  placed  in  the  beginning  of  each  one  of  the 
seasons  of  our  year.  Right  before  me  one  of  the 
balls,  with  its  north  pole  illuminated,  and  its  south 
pole  in  the  dark,  showed  me  how  the  north 
pole  of  the  earth,  on  the  21st  of  June,  is  illu- 
minated, and  its  south  pole  in  the  dark.  I  then 
looked  to  the  next  ball  on  my  model,  and  like  as 
the  candle  shone  on  one  of  its  sides,  and  both  its 
north  and  south  poles  were  illuminated,  so  in 
nature,  on  the  day  of  the  autumnal  equinox,  in 
like  manner  the  sun  shines  on  the  side  of  the  earth 
from  pole  to  pole.  I  then  looked  in  the  order  of 
the  circle  to  the  third  ball,  the  candle  shining  on 
its  south  pole,  but  its  north  pole  was  in  the  dark, 
andf  this  showed  me  how  and  why  the  earth,  on 
the  23d  of  December,  presents  its  south  pole  to  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  its  north  pole  is  in  the  dark. 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS  IN  MY  LIFE. 


I  then  moved  one  of  the  balls  on  its  axis  in  con- 
nection with  the  orbital  motion  round  the  candle, 
which  produced  a  miniature  representation  of  the 
grand  work  of  nature  ;  and  as  the  light  of  the 
candle  at  every  instant  changed  places  on  the  ball 
at  the  point  or  line  where  light  and  darkness  met, 
so  does  the  line  where  sunlight  and  darkness 
meet  on  the  earth  change  every  instant.  I  was,  in 
this  experiment,  enabled  to  see  why  the  point  of 
the  sun's  rising  and  setting  are  variable,  and  what 
proportions  of  the  earth,  and  also  its  parts,  are 
illuminated  from  day  to  day  throughout  the  year, 
and  why  the  light  of  the  sun  for  one  instant  twice 
in  the  year  shines  from  pole  to  pole,  and  how  to  de- 
termine the  vernal  and  autumnal  equinoctial  points. 
Continuing  my  observations,  I  transferred  the  mo- 
tions of  the  ball  of  my  model  or  representative 
earth  to  the  sphere  of  the  stars,  and  lo,  I  discov- 
ered that  the  daily  accelerations  of  the  stars  was 
not  due  to  the  orbital  motion  of  the  earth,  and 
that  fact  of  nature  led  to  the  result  that  the  side- 
real revolutions  of  the  planets,  as  avowed  by  Kep- 
ler, and  demonstrated  by  Newton,  are  not  to  be 
found  among  the  facts  of  nature.  On  that  memo- 
rable night,  as  its  midnight  moment  flitted  by,  I 
was  in  possession  of  the  key  of  nature,  which, 
if  properly  and  understandingly  used,  would  open 
the  temple  of  God's  universe,  and  disclose  to  man 
a  better  knowledge  of  its  God-built  chambers  in  a 
new  system  of  the  world.  I  felt  as  if  the  phantom 
of  a  new  order  of  the  starry  world  was  calling^ne 
to  put  on  its  garments  of  order,  and  place  it  in  its 
beautiful  array  before  the  men  of  my  race,  assuring 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


me  that  I  had  discovered  the  elixir  of  intelligence. 
The  way  of  toil  lay  open  before  me,  and  the  suc- 
cess within  my  reach. 

I  had  resolved,  on  an  early  and  considerate  delib- 
eration, never  to  write  a  book.  At  this  period  I 
scorned  even  the  idea  of  imitating  anything  that 
had  been  done  in  the  way  of  book-making,  and 
then  claiming  to  be  its  author.  Originality  alone 
made  me  abandon  my  anti-book  purpose.  This 
originality  of  conception  involved  and  set  forth  in 
my  book, — the  thought  of  being  the  first  man  of  the 
human  race  to  explain  the  cause  of  the  celestial 
motions, — the  first  gospel  minister  to  say  to  the 
Church  of  the  Lord  of  all  worlds:  "Behold  the 
order  of  your  God  and  Savior!" — the  first  American 
to  say  to  his  countrymen  :  "  Rally  round  the  flag, 
boys,  and  march  in  the  van  of  science,  leading  the 
nationalities  of  the  earth,  and  stand  sentry  over 
these  discoveries," — so  animated  me.  that  the  book 
was  written. 

My  book  is  commended  to  the  reader.  The 
great  features  of  it  are  contrary  to  the  teachings  of 
Sir  Isaac  Newton  ;  and  a  comparison  of  the  facts 
of  nature  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Principia  is  the 
wedding  supper  of  intelligence,  to  which  I  particu- 
larly invite  my  countrymen,  and  then  hope  to 
marry  them  to  the  facts  of  nature.  The  following 
particulars  constitute  the  value  of  my  book  : 

1.  Discovery  of  the  origin  of  gravitation. 

2.  That  gravitation  is  not  universal. 

3.  That  the  force  which  moves  the  planets  round 
the  sun  is  not  centripetal  force. 

4.  That  the  force  which  carries  the  heavenly 
bocues   round    the    sun   was    originally   projectile 
motive  force. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS  IN   MY   LIFE. 


5.  The  reason  why  the  planets  move  eastward 
round  the  sun  is  given. 

6.  The  laws  of  motion,  which  were  employed  by 
Newton,   in  his  resolution   of  his   system  of  the 
world,   are   demonstrated   to   have   been   without 
existence. 

7.  A  new  theory  of  the  motions  of  globes  ;  in 
which  it  is  proved,  from  the   entire  passivity  of 
matter,  that  the   doctrine   of  the   equality  of  the 
angle    of  the   incident   and   reflected   motions   of 
globes  may  or  may  not  be  equal,  according  to  the 
manner  of  the  impress  of  the  force.     The  revolu- 
tionary nature  of  this  part  of  my  book  is  worthy 
of  the  attention  of  every  lover  of  truth. 

8.  I   have    not   only   shown   the    cause   of  the 
earth's   motions,   but   have   brought  to   light  the 
cause    of  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on   its   axis, 
which  fact  has  never  been  accounted  for  in  a  rea- 
sonable way  by  the  Copernican-Newtonian  astron- 
omers ;  nor   is  it  possible  for  any  astronomer  of 
the  present  accepted  system  to  do  so. 

9.  I  have    demonstrated  the  orbital  and  axial 
motion  of  the  earth  by  an  original  argument,  the 
most  perfect  and  convincing,  independent  of  all 
the  arguments  and  demonstrations  hitherto  relied 
on. 

She  @>Wm$  f  tutwl 

From*  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  man  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  beautiful  and  majestic  in 
nature,  on  to  the  time  of  three  years  before  the 
birth  of  the  illustrious  Newton,  not  a  transit  of 
Venus  had  been  witnessed  by  any  of  the  earth- 
born  race  of  men.  What  is  farther  remarkable, 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


the  tables  which  mathematically  predicted  the 
times  of  the  transits  were  in  error.  Astronomers, 
in  their  blindness,  had  forced  figures,  and  forced 
geometry  to  testify  to  their  misunderstanding,  and 
all  of  these  were  proved  to  be  wrong.  About 
three  years  before  the  birth  of  Newton,  an  English 
boy,  by  the  name  of  Jeremy  Horrox,  possessed  by 
a  deep-seated  love  of  the  sublime  in  knowledge, 
detected  the  errors  of  his  astronomical  fathers, 
constructed  new  tables,  from  them  predicted  the 
time  of  a  transit  of  Yenus,  and  at  the  expected 
moment  Horrox  sees  Venus  transiting  the  sun's 
disk.  I  have  thought  that  there  have  been  mo- 
ments of  thrilling  interest,  when  a  great  event  was 
of  sufficient  interest  to  excite  heaven  and  fill  its 
inhabitants  with  rapture.  Was  not  this  one  of  the 
events  so  glorious  and  worthy  as  to  command  the 
rapture  of  every  servant  of  the  Lord  in  heaven 
and  on  the  earth  ?  It  was,  indeed,  a  moment  of 
glory  as  God  looked  on  his  child — this  infant  of  a 
moment  observing  the  first  historical  transit  of 
Venus.  He  would  not,  he  could  not,  and  did  not, 
withhold  his  notice  and  smile  at  the  instant  his 
godlike  child  marked  the  beginning  of  the  epoch 
of  the  observed  transits  of  Venus.  A  comet,  at  the 
time  nameless,  was  seen  in  its  wonderful,  awe-in- 
spiring, and  celestial  majesty  flying  through  the 
expanse,  and  laying  under  tribute  the  admiration 
and  fears  of  all  observers.  Of  those  who  observed 
this  comet,  the  most  prominent  was  an  Englishman 
of  the  name  of  Halley,  and  he  predicted  the  time 
of  its  next  appearance,  which  would  be,  in  the 
course  of  events,  some  time  after  his  death.  In 
respect  to  which  he  said:  "My  countrymen,  I 
ihall  be  numbered  with  the  dead  when  this  comet 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS  IN   MY  LIFE. 


appears  again  ;  and  when  the  eyes  of  the  world 
greet  its  reappearing,  tell  them .  an  Englishman 
predicted  its  advent !"  Fame  has  its  reward, 
and  now  that  comet  bears  the  name  of  Halley's 
Comet,  and  at  least  one  of  the  celestial  visitants 
has  become,  by  the  discovery  of  its  reappearing, 
annexed  to  the  mental  empire  of  Great  Britain. 
Call  to  mind  the  unwearied  Kepler,  toiling  on 
during  a  score  of  years  to  reach  the  goal  of  his 
hopes.  His  anxious  cares  had  culminated  in  what 
he  believed  to  be  a  transcript  of  nature's  wonder- 
ful, mysterious  facts.  He  had  gained  the  happy, 
proud  eminence  in  which  nature  owned  him  as  her 
teacher,  and  henceforth  his  dictum  will  be  law  for 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  arid  also  for  all  ages. 
He  had  examined  the  archives  of  nature,  deci- 
phered her  hieroglyphics,  and  prepared  them  to  be 
translated  into  a  hundred  tongues,  so  that  all  might 
read  and  hear  of  the  wonderful  works  of  God.  The 
pen  d-r-o-p-s  from  his  fingers.  The  (his)  book  is 
written.  He  reposes  for  a  moment  in  the  silence,  of 
devotional  awe  ;  mentally  surveys  his  field  of  work. 
On  wings  of  light  he  flies  round  the  orbits  of  the 
planets,  beholding  their  order  and  their  distances  and 
motions,  and  then  gives  utterance  to  :  "  The  book  is 
written  !  I  will  give  way  to  my  sacred  joy.  If  I 
find  a  reader  now  it  is  well.  If  not,  if  I  find  a 
reader  one  hundred  years  hence,  it  will  be  well.  I 
can  afford  to  wait  a  hundred  years  for  a  reader, 
since  God  has  waited  six  thousand  years  for  an 
observer." 

I  now  appeal  to  you,  men  and  women  of  our 
nation,  to  reward  my  claims  with  your  attention. 
Belonging,  as  I  do,  to  you  by  birth  ;  devoted  to 
your  holiest  and  best  interests  for  time  and  for- 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


ever,  it  becomes  me  to  place  the  new  views  of  na- 
ture before  you  in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  your 
assent  by  the  force  of  truth.  Then  you  can  under- 
standingly  admire  the  way  of  the  Lord  in  nature, 
and  your  convictions  of  the  truth  will  rest  on  the 
firm  base  of  nature's  facts. 


IN  observations  of  the  celestial  motions  I  learned, 
that  the  centre  of  the  apparent  yearly  sun  could 
not  transit  the  same  star  at  the  beginning  and  close 
of  the  astronomers'  sidereal  year  of  the  sun,  the 
apparent  diurnal  revolutions  of  the  stars  precluding 
the  possibility  of  such  a  result.  Hence  the  times 
of  the  sidereal  years  of  the  planets  as  given  by 
Kepler  must  be  false  also,  for  he  founded  them  on 
the  assumption  that  the  stars  have  neither  real  nor 
apparent  motions,  and  the  assumption  being  un- 
true, Kepler's  conclusion  is  of  a  like  nature. 

The  laws  of  motion  which  the  philosophers  had 
adopted  as  sufficient  to  account  for  the  motions  of 
globes  in  any  direction  being  inseparably  connected 
with  the  Newtonian  force  of  universal  gravitation, 
(which  force  not  existing)  I  found  to  be  incompe- 
tent for  the  uses  of  nature,  and  I  supplied  the  want 
by  my  discovery  :  That  a  single  projectile  side- 
wise  impulse  impinging  on  a  globe  would  as  surely 
urge  the  globe  in  the  direction  of  a  curve  line,  as 
would  the  same  force  if  directed  in  a  line  through 
the  centre  of  the  globe  urge  it  in  the  direction  of  a 
right  line. 

The  matter  of  the  Universe  was  originally  pas- 
sive, being  naturally  without  power  to  move  itself. 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN  MY   LIFE. 


This  passivity  excluded  the  possibility  of  there  re- 
siding originally  in  matter  such  a  force  as  Newton's 
assumed  force  of  universal  gravitation.  The  force 
of  gravity  by  which  the  matter  of  any  revolving 
sphere  tends  to  its  axial  centre  originated  in  the 
rotary  motion  of  the  sphere,  and  hence  the  force  of 
the  gravity  of  the  matter  of  a  heavenly  body  is 
equal  to  its  weight ;  and  the  measure  of  that  weight 
always  determined  by  the  rate  of  the  axial  rotation 
of  the  spheroid. 

According  to  Newton,  the  mutual  attractions  of 
the  gravities  of  a  bale  of  cotton  weighing  400  Ibs., 
and  the  weight  of  the  whole  earth,  are  in  propor- 
tion to  their  respective  masses. 

If  this  was  or  is  so,  a  force  a  little  superior  to 
the  whole  force  of  the  attraction  of  the  whole  earth 
would  be  required  to  lift  the  bale  of  cotton  away 
from  the  earth's  surface.  This  is  so  contrary  to 
experience  and  observations  of  all  bodies  with 
which  we  are  acquainted  by  handling,  that  we  have 
the  right  to  conclude  that  the  Newtonian  theory  of 
mutual  attractions  of  all  bodies  is  without  the  pale 
of  truth,  save  when  two  lovers  are  mutually  at- 
tracted to  each  other,  and  then  it  is  not  in  propor- 
tion to  the  respective  weights  of  their  bodies,  but 
the  intensities  of  their  affection. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  La  Place,  Newton, 
and  their  disciples,  say  nothing  about  the  gravity 
of  matter  arising  from  its  absolute  weight  before  it 
was  started  into  motion,  but  speak  only  of  the 
gravity  or  relative  weight  of  it  while  subject  to  the 
force  of  axial  rotation.  The  density  of  matter  is 
never  altered  by  motion,  but  its  mass  or  weight 
may  be.  On  this  account  we  shall  be  able  to  prove 
that  matter  may  be  divested  of  its  entire  weight, 


38 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


and  consequently  of  its  entire  force  of  the  gravity 
of  its  mass. 

Let  us  assume  the  density  and  the  absolute 
weight  of  the  matter  of  the  sun  and  planets  to  have 
been  equal  to  each  other  before  they  were  set  in 
motion,  and  then  learn  what  the  force  of  gravity  is, 
how  originated,  and  how  the  weight  of  matter  may 
undergo  changes,  its  density  all  the  time  being  with- 
out change. 

When  the  matter  of  the  earth  began  to  turn  on 
its  axis,  it  encountered  the  centrifugal  force  arising 
from  the  axial  rotation,  which  reduced  the  absolute 
weight  of  the  matter  of  the  whole  earth  below  the 
measure  of  its  density.  The  change  which  took 
place  consequent  upon  the  resistance  of  the  cen- 
trifugal force  arising  from  the  axial  rotation,  de- 
termined the  present  weight  of  the  matter  of  the 
earth,  and  also  its  gravitating  force  ;  and  because  of 
this  change,  what  can  be  more  evident  than  that 
the  present  relative  weight  and  gravity  of  the  whole 
earth  did  not  originally  inhere  in  its  matter,  but 
were  caused  by  the  force  of  rotary  motion  ?  Hence 
the  conclusion  is  fairly  reached,  that  the  present 
gravitating  force  of  the  earth  did  not  exist  coeval 
with  the  existence  of  matter,  nor  before  the  begin- 
ning of  the  earth's  rotary  motion. 

A  decrease  of  the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth 
would  tend  to  increase  the  gravity  of  its  mass,  but 
an  increase  of  the  rotary  motion  would  tend  to  de- 
crease the  amount  of  its  gravity.  These  variations 
of  axial  rotations  show  how  matter  may  bo  im- 
pressed with  any  measure  of  gravity,  be  passed 
through  every  possible  change  of  weight  to  0,  and 
the  density  of  the  matter  all  the  time  remaining  in- 


tact. 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


Suppose  three  globes,  D,  E,  F,  of  pure  silver, 
of  equal  diameters,  at  equal  distances  from  the  sun  ; 
the  axial  motion  of  D  twice  as  much  as  E,  and  F 
half  as  much  as  E.  The  matter  of  these  globes, 
opposed  by  their  varying  centrifugal  forces,  will 
vary  in  the  nature  of  the  cases,  for  the  weight  and 
gravity  of  F  will  be  greatest,  E  less,  and  D  least, 
but  their  densities  will  be  unchanged  ;  and  a  por- 
tion of  silver  that  would  weigh  exactly  16  ounces 
on  globe  E,  will  weigh  more  on  globe  F,  and  less  on 
globe  D. 

Let  us  now  advance  to  learn  how  the  particles  of 
a  globe  may  be  without  attraction  for  each  other, 
and  the  matter  of  the  globe  be  without  weight. 

Suppose  a  globe  of  gold  moving  in  free  space, 
the  velocity  of  its  rotary  motion  tending  to  equilib- 
rium. In  such  a  state,  the  particles  of  the  globe 
will  press  neither  way  among  themselves,  being  nice- 
ly balanced  by  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  rotary 
motion,  and  the  whole  globe  will  be  without  weight, 
or,  which  is  the  same,  destitute  of  gravity. 

Newton  assumed  that  all  matter  is  pervaded  by 
a  force  of  gravity  which  is  distinguished  from  its 
weight. 

If  such  a  force  was  coeval  with  the  origin  of  mat- 
ter, like  its  density  was,  what  can  be  plainer  than 
that  Newton  did  not  even  mention  it?  In  fact, 
did  not  discover  such  a  whole  force !  His  discov- 
ery was  :  that  of  the  gravity  of  matter  when  op- 
posed by  a  centrifugal  force,  (!)  which  is  less  than 
the  absolute  weight  of  the  matter. 

Again:  if  a  force  of  universal  gravitation  in- 
heres in  matter,  how  did  it  come  to  pass — by  what 
oversight  did  Newton  fall  headlong  in  error,  and 
substitute  the  gravity  of  the  matter  of  the  earth, 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


which  is  known  to  arise  as  an  effect  of  the  earth's 
rotary  motion,  for  that  of  universal  gravitation? 
What  a  substitution  !  '  What  a  mistake  ! 

Once  more  :  if  the  dogma  of  the  universal  grav- 
itation of  matter  is  true,  then  the  matter  of  the 
earth  must  be  subject  to  two  forces  of  gravitation. 
One  arising  from  the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth, 
and  exactly  equal  to  its  relative  weight.  The 
other,  the  inhering  force  of  gravitation,  and  exactly 
equal  to  the  absolute  weight  of  the  matter  of  the 
earth.  But  two  such  forces  involve  an  absurdity ; 
and  here,  plainly  seeing  that  Newton  mistook  the 
former  for  the  latter,  we  have  the  means  at  hand 
to  point  out  his  error. 


MY  experiments  to  test  the  measure  of  the  force 
of  the  attraction  of  the  whole  earth  on  certain 
bodies  on  its  surface,  which  explode  the  Newtonian 
theory  of  the  mutual  attractions  of  all  bodies. 

First. — A  body  of  iron,  weight  one  hundred 
pounds,  slipped  from  the  hands  of  a  man  and  fell 
to  the  earth.  Now,  if  the  attraction  of  the  mass  of 
the  whole  earth  on  the  mass  of  iron  is  as  the  at- 
traction of  the  iron  on  the  earth,  the  attraction  of 
the  earth  will  exceed  that  of  the  iron  by  as  many 
times  as  one  hundred  pounds  will  divide  the  num- 
ber of  pounds  contained  in  the  earth.  Newton  af- 
firms this  to  be  so,  and  were  the  affirmation  true, 
all  the  men  in  the  world  could  not  lift  the  iron  from 
the  earth's  surface.  Let  us  see.  The  man  stoops 
down  and  lifts  the  iron  to  the  place  from  which  it 
fell,  and  this  lifting  demonstrates  that  the  attrac- 
tion of  the  whole  earth  on  the  iron  is  less  than  the 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


strength  of  a  man.  In  this  experiment  we  have 
the  disproof  of  the  mutual  attraction  of  the  bodies, 
and  the  mutual  attractions  of  all  bodies  are  equally 
baseless. 

Second. — An  ounce  of  iron  lay  on  the  earth's  sur- 
face. Schools,  colleges,  and  universities  teach  that 
the  earth  attracts  the  ounce  of  iron  with  a  force 
equal  to  the  weight  of  the  number  of  ounces  con- 
tained in  the  mass  of  the  earth.  Wishing  to  deter- 
mine the  measure  of  the  force  of  the  mass  of  the 
earth  on  that  of  the  iron,  and  that  of  the  ounce  on 
the  earth,  I  procured  a  horse-shoe  magnet,  having 
an  attractive  force  of  one  ounce  and  a  grain. 
When  I  so  placed  the  magnet  that  its  force  could 
act  on  the  ounce  of  iron,  it  flew  from  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  and,  giving  in  its  adhesion  to  the  horse- 
shoe magnet,  was  by  this  medium  lifted  away  from 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  This  is  a  clear  and  sen- 
sible demonstration  that  the  force  of  the  gravity  of 
the  whole  earth  on  the  iron  was  less  than  17 
grains. 

Third. — If  the  earth  lay  on  the  surface  of  the  sun, 
a  force  a  little  superior  to  the  weight  of  the  earth 
would  suffice  to  lift  the  earth  and  remove  it  into 
space,  and  then  at  the  earth's  distance  from  the 
sun,  their  mutual  attractions  (if  assumed  to  exist) 
must  be  altogether  overcome  by  the  superior  force 
of  the  earth's  momentum,  and  hence  the  perturb- 
ations of  the  heavenly  bodies  as  an  effect  of  univer- 
sal gravitation  is  baseless.  And  because  the  mo- 
mentum of  the  moving  bodies  of  the  solar  system 
is  a  force  vastly  greater  than  the  weight  of  the 
bodies,  the  latter  must  be  subjected  to  the  former, 
and  therefore  not  a  force  competent  to  control  the 
motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IX   MY   LIFE. 


m 


But  suppose  the  utmost  tension  of  a  string  to 
represent  the  gravitating  force  of  a  32-pound  shot. 
Then  let  each  one  of  the  many  times  the  mass  of 
the  earth  may  be  divided  by  32  pounds  be  repre- 
sented by  a  like  string.  Then  let  all  these  strings  be 
twisted  into  a  cable  to  represent  the  assumed  grav- 
ity of  the  earth  to  hold  the  32-pound  shot  to  its 
surface. 

Now,  if  the  32-pound  shot  is  held  to  the  surface 
of  the  earth  by  said  cable,  do  you  not  perceive  that 
a  force  more  than  equal  to  the  whole  force  of  the 
earth's  gravity  is  required  to  lift  it  from  the  earth's 
surface  ?  But  the  force  of  a  boy  will  suffice  ;  and 
the  reason  is  this  :  there  is  no  mutual  attractions  of 
bodies  in  proportion  to  their  respective  masses. 

In  Herschel's  Outlines  (442)  he  makes  the  ut- 
most tension  of  a  string  equal  the  gravity  of  the 
mass  of  a  body  ;  say  a  string  the  tension  of  which 
will  equal  the  gravity  of  a  32-pound  shot. 

D.  Olmsted  says :  A  32-pound  ball  moving  6,250 
feet  in  a  second  of  time,  has  a  momentum  of 
200,000  pounds.  Therefore  the  force  of  gravity 
will  be  overcome  by  the  force  of  momentum  in  the 
proportion  of  1  to  6,250. 


HERSCHEL  says  the  mass  of  the  earth  is  to  the 
mass  of  the  sun  as  1  to  354,936,  but  the  momen- 
tum of  the  earth  arising  from  its  mass  and  velocity 
is  greater  than  the  whole  of  the  assumed  gravity 
of  the  sun's  mass,  and  hence  it  is  too  weak  a  force 
to  counteract  the  force  of  the  earth's  momentum, 
and  it  and  the  projectile  force  combined  compose 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE.  43 

a  force  too  great  to  be  balanced  by  the  mere  force 
of  the  assumed  sun's  attraction. 

The  mass  of  the  sun  has  been  assumed  to  be  500 
times  greater  than  the  mass  of  all  the  other  bodies 
in  the  solar  system,  and  the  astronomers  suppose 
that  the  sun  is  dragged  about  as  much  by  the  at- 
tractions of  the  planets  and  other  bodies  as  it  drags 
them  about  by  its  attraction.  Suppose  500 
men  on  a  rope  pulling  against  one  man  on  the 
other  end  of  the  rope.  How  absurd  to  say  that 
the  force  of  the  one  man  sufficed  to  pull  the 
500  men  one  five-hundredth  of  the  way  toward 
him,  and  just  such  an  absurdity  is  involved  in  the 
Newtonian  Law  of  Universal  Gravity  and  Planetary 
Perturbations.  (See  Principia,  Book  III.,  Proposi- 
tion XII.) 

The  absurdity  will  be  not  a  little  amplified  by 
Herschel,  who  says :  An  effect  of  the  mutual  at- 
tractions of  the  earth  and  sun  is  the  circulation  of 
the  sun  around  "a  point  267  miles  from  the  sun's 
centre."  Now  when  it  turns  out  that  the  one  force 
of  the  weight  of  the  earth  will  drag  the  combined 
force  of  the  weight  of  the  sun  (which  is  354,936 
times  greater)  around  a  point  267  miles  distant 
from  its  centre,  then  the  force  of  one  man  will  suf- 
fice to  drag  354,936  equally  strong  men  toward 
him,  and  when  this  of  the  men  and  that  of  the 
earth  and  sun  shall  be  esteemed  the  exact  truth 
with  respect  to  gravity  and  the  strength  of  the 
men,  then  any  theory  can  be  welcomed  as  infallible 
science. 

According  to  Newton,  the  tendency  of  the  grav- 
ity of  the  matter  of  the  earth  is  in  lines  directed 
from  the  surface  to  the  centre  of  the  earth,  and  not 
along  and  across  the  diameters  of  the  spheroid  ; 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


also,  that  the  gravity  of  the  earth's  mass  is  directed 
outward  toward  the  sun.  But  how  can  the  earth 
have  a  whole  force  of  the  gravity  of  its  mass  di- 
rected inward  to  its  centre,  and  a  whole  force  of 
the  gravity  of  its  mass  directed  outward  toward  the 
sun  ;  involving  the  idea  that  the  matter  of  the  earth 
possesses  an  amount  of  gravitation  equal  to  twice 
its  mass.  Unless  you  accept  this  as  true,  you  have 
no  use  for  Newton's  Law  of  Gravitation  ;  and  if 
you  still  insist  on  its  truth,  please  tell  if  it  is  not 
like  a  wind  that  has  the  power  to  blow  on  the  same 
line  in  exactly  opposite  directions,  in  the  same  and 
in  every  continuous  instant.  When  the  plan- 
ets Earth  and  Venus  were  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  sun,  the  force  of  the  gravity  of  the 
sun  was  assumed  to  be  directed  against  the 
earth,  and  also  at  the  same  time  the  whole 
force  acted  against  Venus  in  an  opposite  direction, 
involving  the  singular  agglomeration  of  the  whole 
force  of  the  sun's  gravity  flowing  inward  to  its  cen- 
tre, and  the  whole  force  flowing  outward  directed 
to  Earth,  and  the  whole  force  flowing  outward 
in  an  opposite  course  directed  to  Venus,  making 
three  forces,  or  three  times  as  much  gravity  as 
could  arise  from  the  sun's  mass. 

Newton,  in  his  theory  of  gravitation  and  parallel- 
ogram of  forces,  to  account  for  the  orbital  motions 
of  the  celestial  spheres,  adjusted  the  centrifugal 
force  of  each  one  of  the  heavenly  globes  to  an 
equality  with  the  force  of  the  gravity  of  the  sun's 
entire  mass  ;  requiring  as  many  distinct  centrifugal 
or  projectile  forces  as  there  are  bodies  in  the  solar 
system.  Each  one  of  the  forces  to  equal  the  whole 
attraction  of  the  sun  on  each  body,  its  density  and 
the  square  of  the  distance  always  considered.  What 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


a  multitude  of  forces !    How  can.  the  sun  .furnish 
them? 

Again  :  Newton  assumed  that  the  expanse  on  all 
sides  of  the  sun  was  filled  or  pervaded  by  the  force 
of  the  sun's  gravity  to.  an  extent  equal  to  the  spher- 
ical space  occupied  by  the  light  of  the  sun.  Let 
us  admit  this,  and  then  .our  conclusion  will  partake 
of  the  nature  of  an  axiom  ;  for  the  sphere  of  the 
sun's  light  is  to  the  bulk  of  the  earth,  as  the  sphere 
of  the  sun's  gravity  is  to  the  mass  of  the  earth. 
Hence  the  earth  can  not  be  acted  on  by  a  greater 
proportion  of  the  gravity  of  the  sun,  than  the  part 
it  holds  to  the  whole  extent  of  the  field  of  the  as- 
sumed sun's  gravity,  all  other  bodies  must  be  sub- 
ject to  the  same  true  reasoning,  and  therefore  be- 
cause any  one  of  the  heavenly  bodies  bears  so  small 
a  proportion  to  the  expanse  filled  with  the  sun's  light, 
and  the  mass  of  any  one  of  the  bodies  bears  a  less 
proportion  to  the  expanse  assumed  to  be  filled  with 
the  sun's  gravity,  it  is  the  perfection  of  human  rea- 
son to  conclude  that  some  other  force  than  that  of 
the  sun's  gravity  originated  the  orbital  motions  of 
the  heavenly  bodies. 


I  HAVE  communicated  to  a  top  whirling  and 
forward  motions,  and  saw  the  top  advance  orbitally 
in  the  curve  line  of  a  spiral,  and  when  the  top 
reached  the  centre  of  the  spiral  its  orbital  advance 
was  arrested,  but  the  whirling  of  the  top  on  its 
point  or  around  its  axis,  being  retarded  only  by  the 
resistance  of  the  air,  continued  until  exhausted  by 
atmospherical  resistance.  From  this  we  may  be 
able  to  perceive  how  like  motions  were  impressed 
on  the  sun.  (See  pages  77  and  78.) 


INCIDENTS    AND    FACTS    IN    MY    LIFE. 


1.  THE  motions  of  the  sun  having  been  genera- 
ted by  a  sidewise  impulse,  he  moved  forward  in  the 
direction  of  a  curve  line  of  a  spiral,  and   orbitally 
advanced  to  the  centre  of  the  spiral,  at  which  point 
he  finished  his  orbital  career. 

2.  The  same  force  which  caused  the  for  ward  mo- 
tion, precipitated  the  matter  of  the  sun  around  his 
axis  with   a  velocity  tending  to  equilibrium,  and 
there  being  no  interference  with  the  rotary  motion, 
it  is  perpetual. 

3.  The  matter  of  the  sun,  being    in  a  state    of 
equilibrium,  will  press  neither  way,  being  nicely 


balanced  by  the  centrifugal  force  arising  from  the 
sun's  axial  rotation,  and  such  a  globe  I  fully  believe 
the  sun  to  be,  the  particles  of  its  matter  without 
tj  attraction  for  each  other,  its  mass  without  weight, 
and  without  an}'  conceivable  kind  of  gravity,  and 
its  centre,  the  true  centre  of  the  world. 

These  reasonings  carry  conviction  to  the  intelli- 
gent mind  ;  and  the  dogma,  that  the  orbital  motions 
of  the  planets  are  due  to  the  mutual  gravitations  of 
the  masses  of  the  sun  and  planets,  is  seen  to  be  as 
chimerical  as  is  any  known  error  of  the  ancients. 
The  wise  among  men  will  be  constrained  to  seek 
some  other  way  not  liable  to  so  many  destructive 
objections.  Which  way  of  nature  I  have  discover- 
ed, and  invite  you  to  enter  this  glorious  path,  and 
see  and  learn  the  long  sought  for  cause  of  the  mo- 
tions of  the  heavenly  spheres.  Farewell,  thou  Law 
of  Universal  Gravitation.  Retire  from  the  unbound- 
ed field  of  space  and  worlds  of  light  over  which 
thou  hast  reigned  like  a  god,  lulling  to  rest  the  in- 


INCIDENTS    AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


quiry  :  Why  move  the  heavenly  orbs  in  curve  line 
paths  ?  Thy  destiny  is  finished,  and  now  I  pray  thee 
do  homage  to  the  truth,  and  let  the  disclosed 
knowledge  of  A  RIGHT  LINE  IMPULSE  to  urge  a  globe 
in  a  curve  line  be  thy  mandamus  to  unloose  the 
swaddling  bands  by  which  thou  hast  bound  the 
works  of  God.  Take  off  thy  all-grasping  hand  of 
gravitation  and  let  the  heavenly  spheres  assert  their 
liberty  to  move  unaided  by  thee. 


NEWCOMBS  SOLAR  PARALLAX. 

IN  1867,  Simon  Newcomb,  Professor  of  Mathemat- 
ics, United  States  Navy,  published,  "  Investigations 
of  the  Distance  of  the  Srtn,  and  of  the  Elements  which 
depend  upon  it.  From  the  observations  of  Mars, 
made  during  the  opposition  of  1862,  and  from 
other  sources,  forming  Appendix  II.,  to  the  Wash- 
ington Astronomical  Observatory  for  1865." 

On  page  29,  Simon  Newcomb  says  :  "  The  mean 
equatorial  horizontal  parallax  of  the  sun  is  8".  848 
with  a  probable  error  of  0".013,  corresponding  to 
a  mean  distance  of  92,380,000  statute  miles.  For 
astronomical  purposes,  the  value  of  8."85  may  be 
taken  as  a  round  number  of  hundredths  having 
equal  weight  with  the  above  concluded  value." 

—  8".8485. 

IN  my  analysis  of  Newcomb's  parallax  of  the  sun, 
I  proved  that  the  angle  which  the  equatorial  radius 
of  the  earth  subtends,  seen  from  the  sun's  centre,  is 
8".  8485,  and  corresponds  to  a  mean  distance  of 
92,380,416  miles. 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN    MY    LIFE. 


In  my  studies  to  bring  the  solution  of  any  equa- 
torial horizontal  parallax  within  the  pale  of  com- 
mon arithmetic,  I  obtained  the  following  results : 

1.  The  arc  of  the  equatorial  horizontal  parallax 
of  the  sun,  or  of  any  one  of  the  planets,  is  the  arc 
of  a  circle,  the  semi-diameter  of  which  is  the  mean 
distance  of  the   sun   or  planet   from   the    earth's 
centre. 

2.  The  arc  which  subtends  and  is  the  measure  of 
the  parallactic  angle  of  the  sun,  or  that  of  any  one 
of  the  planets,  in  linear  measure  is  the  same  as  the 
linear  measure  of  the  earth's  equatorial  radius. 

3.  To  prove  an  equatorial  horizontal  parallax, 
compare  the  linear  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  paral- 
lactic angle,  with  the  linear  measure  of  the  earths' 
equatorial  radius,  and  if  they  coincide,  the  parallax 
is  reliable. 

4.  The  substitution  of  the  linear  measure  of  the 
earth's  equatorial  radius,  for  the  linear  measure  of 
the  arc  of  the  parallactic  angle  of  the  sun  is  justi- 
fied on  the  ground  that  there  is  no  appreciable  dif- 
ference between  the  sine  and  tangent  of  the  angle 
of  the  solar  parallax,  and  consequently  there  can 
be  no  difference  between  the  arc  and  tangent ;  and 
the  same  is  true  of  the  parallactic  angles  of  all  the 
planets.  But  should  some  pedantic  or  inexperienc- 
ed scholar  think  there  is  a  difference,  notwithstand- 
ing the  sniallness  of  the  parallactic  angles  of  the  sun 
and  planets,  a  trial  of  the  case  in  actual  work  will 
convince  the   most  skeptical  of  the  truth  of  my 
statement. 

Example  to  find  the  sun's  mean  distance  by 
single  proportion  in  common  arithmetic  : 


INCIDENTS  AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LTFE.  49 

As  the  arc   or  angle  of  the  sun's  parallax 8".8485 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees > 360° 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax 3,963  miles 

To  the  linear  measure  of  the  circle,  580,442,786.91301 
miles-f-3.14159=  184,760, 833  miles  in  the  diameter  of  the 
circlc-^-2=92, 380,416  miles  in  the  radius  of  the  circle,  and 
this  is  the  term  of  the  sun's  mean  distance.  (See  pages  91 
and  92.) 

This  change  in  the  solar  parallax  involves  a 
change  in  the  real  diameter  of  the  sun,  and  I  have 
the  honor  of  being  the  discoverer  of  how  to  find 
the  term  of  the  sun's  real  diameter  in  the  fourth 
term  of  a  single  proportion  in  common  arithmetic. 
(See  pages  88  and  89.) 

Example  to  find  the  real  diameter  of  the  sun  in 
the  fourth  term  of  a  single  proportion  in  common 
arithmetic.  (See  the  "  rule  "  on  page  89.) 

As  the  arc  or  angle  of  the  sun's   parallax 8".8485 

Is  to  the  sun's  apparent  diameter 32'.4" 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax 3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  the  sun 861,707  miles 

N.  B. — The  term  of  the  sun's  apparent  diameter  I  selected 
from  the  American  Nautical  Almanac  for  1864. 

Also,  NewcomVs  parallax  of  the  sun '  changes 
the  value  of  the  sun's  mass,  taking  the  mass  of 
the  earth  as  unity  to  equal  326,800  earths,  but 
Herschel's  mass  of  the  sun,  taking  the  mass  of 
the  earth  as  unity,  is  equal  to  354,936  earths  ;  re- 
sulting in  the  decrease  of  the  weight  of  the  sun  by 
an  amount  nearly  equal  to  30,000  times  the  weight 
or  gravity  of  the  earth.  By  so  much,  at  least,  it  is 
made  to  appear  that  the  sun  has  not  as  much  grav- 
itating force  by  Newcomb's  parallax  as  Herschel 
thought  it  had. 

ENCKE'S  SOLAR  PARALLAX. 
The  American  and  English  Nautical  Almanacs 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS    IN    MY   LIFE. 


for  1864,  accepted  as  an  approximation  to  the 
truth  Encke's  discussions  of  the  transits  of  Venus 
in  1761  and  1769,  as  furnishing  the  standard  equa- 
torial horizontal  parallax  of  the  sun  at  the  earth's 
mean  distance=8".5776.  This  parallax  is  equal 
in  linear  measure  to  3,841.671  miles. 

HERSCHEL'S  SOLAR  PARALLAX. 
Herschel,  for  just  reasons,  having  objections 
against  the  assumed  integrity  of  Encke's  solar  par- 
allax, makes  the  equatorial  horizontal  parallax  of 
the  sun  to  equal  8".  6,  which  in  linear  measure  is 
equal  to  -3,852  miles  nearly. 

NEWCOMB'S  SOLAR  PARALLAX. 
Newcomb,  departing  from  all  former  standards 
and  statements  of  the  value  of  the  solar  parallax, 
in  his  investigations  of  "the  sun's  distance,"  came 
nearer  to  the  goal  of  truth  than  any  of  his  eminent 
predecessors,  and  makes  the  equatorial  horizontal 
parallax  of  the  sun  to  be  8". 85,  which  in  line 
measure  is  equal  to  3,963.657271  miles. 

THE  AUTHOR'S  SOLAR  PARALLAX. 

My  solar  parallax  of  8".8485,  which  is  my  cor- 
rection of  Newcomb's  solar  parallax,  is  in  line 
measure  equal  to  3,963  miles,  and  coincides  with 
the  linear  measure  of  the  earth's  equatorial  radius. 

The  base  line  of  every  equatorial  horizontal  par- 
allax, being  the  line  of  the  earth's  equatorial 
radius=3,963  miles,  the  arc  or  angle  of  the  par- 
allax in  degree  should  exactly  equal  a  line  measure 
of  3,963  miles,  and  in  any  case  when  the  line 
measure  of  the  arc  or  angle  of  the  parallax  is  more 
or  less  than  3,963  miles,  the  plus  or  minus  is  the 
measure  of  the  error  involved. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


TABLE    OF    SOLAR  PARALLAXES   IN    ONE    VIEW. 

Encke's 8".5776  is  equal  to  3,841.671  miles. 

Herschel's 8".6  is  equal  to  3,852  miles. 

Newcomb's 8".S5  is  equal  to  3,963.657271  miles. 

The   Author's 8".8485  is  equal  to  3,963  miles. 

From  the  above  it  follows,  that  the  line  measure 
of  the  arc  or  angle  of  Encke's  solar  parallax  is 
minus  121.329  miles,  and  that  of  Herschel's  is 
minus  111  miles  nearly,  and  the  solar  parallax  of 
Newcomb's  is  plus  .057271  fraction  of  a  mile,  re- 
quiring these  corrections  that  each  one  of  the  par- 
allaxes may  equal  3,963  miles,  with  additions  of 
corresponding  degrees  of  angular  measurements. 

And  if  any  mathematician  or  astronomer  should 
be  led,  on  further  examination  and  discovery,  to  con- 
clude that  the  line  measure  of  the  earth's  equatorial 
radius  should  be  taken  to  be  less  in  measure  than 
the  term  of  3,963  miles,  which  I  have  used  in  my 
work,  the  parallax  should  be  correspondingly  cor- 
rected, because  mathematical  law  requires  that  the 
linear  measure  of  the  arc  and  tangent  of  any  equa- 
torial horizontal  parallax  should  always  coincide 
with  the  linear  measure  of  the  earth's  equatorial 
radius,  which  is  made  the  tangent  of  the  angle. 

In  my  determinations  of  the  diameter  and  dis- 
tance of  the  sun  as  they  may  be  seen  hereafter,  I 
used  the  solar  parallax  of  8".6,  which  I  found  in 
Herschel's  Outlines,  and  in  books  of  other  learned 
authors,  as  being  most  consonant  with  the  truth, 
which  parallax  I  found,  on  subsequent  examination, 
to  be  in  error,  by  an  amount  in  line  measure  of  111 
miles  nearly,  and  in  angular  measurement  0".2485 
of  a  degree. 

My  apology  for  not  using  my  corrected  equato- 
rial horizontal  parallax  of  the  sun  to  the  exclu- 


INCIDENTS   AND  FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


sion  of  thatof8".6,  byHerschel,  is  that  Newcomb's 
work  did  not  come  into  my  possession  until  after 
all  the  subsequent  part  of  my  work  was  stereotyped. 

KAISERLICHE  AKADEMIE  DER  WISSENSCHAFTEN  IN  WEIN. 

WEIN,  den  26,  Marz,  1868. 
The  Imperial  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  Vienna,  in 
the  Empire  of  Austria  (in  a  letter  bearing  the 
above  caption  and  date),  have  tendered  to  me  their 
thanks,  and  commanded  their  Secretary  to  convey 
to  me  their  distinguished  appreciation  of  my  dis- 
coveries, and  that  they  had  deposited  my  works  in 
their  library.  Then  doing  homage  to  genius,  their 
letter  concluded  thus:  "To  the  honored  Sir  WM. 
ISAACS  LOOMIS,  Pastor  of  the  Piermont  Baptist 
Church." 


ASTRONOMICAL  .EPOCH  OF  MOSES, 

Versus 

Newton's  System  of  the  World  and  the  American  Bible 
Union, 

A  revised  edition  of  the  Book  of  Genesis,  by 
Thomas  J.  Conant,  on  p.  4,  speaks  of  a  charge 
11  against  the  sacred  narrative,  that  it  conflicts  with 
the  known  truths  of  astronomy."  According  to 
Laplace  and  the  tendency  of  the  teaching  of  the 
Newtonian  astronomers,  the  sun  was  caused  to  be 
before  the  earth,  but  Moses  states  the  earth  was 
caused  to  be  on  the  first  day,  and  the  sun  on  the 
fourth  day  of  the  creation.  What  a  difference  ! 
Because  the  structure  of  the  planetary  system  of 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY  LIFE. 


Newton  differs  from  that  of  Moses,  all  men  should 
have,  out  of  reverence  for  God  the  Creator,  de- 
manded a  verdict  against  Newton  ;  but  our  poor 
erring  eyesight,  dazzled  by  the  torchlight  of  the 
new  science,  clothed  Newton  with  the  honors  of 
infallibility,  and  it  was  concluded  that  poor  Moses, 
like  an  old  fossil,  should  be  laid  on  the  shelf,  to 
awaken  our  sympathy  for  the  dark  and  ignorant 
age  in  which  he  lived. 

A  true  interpretation  of  the  facts  of  Natural  As- 
tronomy demonstrates  that  the  motions  of  the  earth 
are  independent  of  any  relation  to  the  sun,  and 
consequently  the  earth  could  have  revolved  in  its 
orbit  for  seventy-two  hours,  or  between  three  and 
four  geologic  ages,  such  as  were  guessed  at  by 
Agassiz  and  Hugh  Miller,  before  the  sun  was 
caused  to  be. 

Permit  me  now  to  say  to  the  infidel  Ha !  ha  !-ists 
who  have  concluded  that  they  know  more  by  the 
teachings  of  Newton  than  Moses  ever  learned  of 
God  :  To  the  front,  gentlemen,  and  learn  that  the 
narrative  of  Moses,  in  respect  to  the  construction 
of  the  solar  system,  is  in  the  most  perfect  accord- 
ance with  Natural  Astronomy. 

WHAT   MATHEMATICIANS     HAVE     PRONOUNCED    MATHE- 
MATICALLY  IMPOSSIBLE,    I   HAVE    DEMONSTRATED 
TO    BE    MATHEMATICALLY   CERTAIN. 

The  science  of  Trigonometry  teaches  :  In  a  tri- 
angle there  are  three  sides  and  three  angles,  and 
that  to  limit  the  triangle  to  a  particular  form  and 
size,  three  of  the  parts  must  be  known,  from  which 
to  determine  the  remaining  three  parts. 

T.  Dick,  LL.  D.,  affirms  :    "On  the  demonstrated 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 

properties  of  a  triangle  depends  the  mode  of 
measuring  the  distance  of  the  sun  and  moon,  the 
magnitudes  of  the  planets,  and  the  dimension  of 
the  solar  system." 

Here  I  join  issue  and  affirm:  That  with  two 
measures  of  the  arc  of  the  vertical  angle  of  any  one 
of  the  right-angled  triangles  projected  in  the  equa- 
torial horizontal  parallaxes  of  the  sun  and  planets, 
I  can  determine  the  linear  measure  of  its  perpen- 
dicular leg.  Then  the  square  root  of  the  sum  of 
the  squares  of  the  base  and  perpendicular  leg  will 
be  the  measure  of  the  hypothenuse  of  the  right- 
angled  triangle,  and  the  three  sides  will  be  de- 
termined. I  hesitated  not  a  little  when  I  contem- 
plated the  disadvantages  of  my  situation.  On  one 
side  is  congregated  a  galaxy  of  intelligences,  formed 
of  the  mentally  renowned  of  ages,  composed  of 
Atheists,  Deists,  Pagans,  Roman  Catholics,  and 
Protestants,  in  one  harmonious  voice  protesting 
against  the  success  of  my  seemingly  hopeless  effort. 
On  the  other  side,  alone,  and  unsupported  by  the 
prestige  of  fame  or  ardent  friends,  a  Baptist  min- 
ister, coveting  in  this  case  to  be  crowned  the  men- 
tal king,  engages  to  give  a  new  lesson  in  science, 
that  the  living  world  of  men  will  never  forget. 

First. — A  star  seen  from  the  ends  of  the  diam- 
eter of  the  earth's  orbit  exhibited  an  annual  par- 
allax of  1"  of  a  degree. 

Second. — The  triangle  projected  in  the  parallax 
is  an  isosceles  triangle,  and  the  line  of  bisection 
from  the  sun's  centre  to  the  star  is  the  distance  of 
the  star  from  the  sun's  centre,  the  linear  measure 
of  which  I  will  find. 

Third. — The  linear  measure  of  the  diameter  of 
the  earth's  orbit,  which  arises  from  my  corrected 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   OF   MY   LIFE. 


solar  parallax,  as  before  seen,  is  184,760,833 
miles. 

Fourth. — The  angle  of  the  parallax  being  only 
one  second  of  a  degree,  there  can  be  no  appre- 
ciable difference  between  the  arc  and  tangent  of 
the  angle,  and  therefore  the  linear  measure  of  the 
angle  and  arc  of  the  parallax  coincide. 

The  two  measures  of  the  arc  of  this  parallax  : 

First. — The  circular  measure  of  the  arc  of  1"  of 
a  degree  carried  to  seven  places  of  decimals  is 
0".0000048,  and  is  the  divisor. 

Second. — The  linear  measure  of  the  arc  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit, 
and  is  184,760,833  miles,  and  is  the  dividend. 

DEMONSTRATION    BY   DIVISION. 

184,760,833,0000000-48=38,490,840,000,000 
miles,  is  the  quotient,  which  is  the  distance  of  the 
star  from  the  conditions  of  the  example. 

You  have  now  the  proof  before  you  that  the 
sublime  problem  of  finding  the  distance  of  a  star 
can  be  determined  without  any  knowledge  of  trig- 
onometry. Furthermore:  in  all  equatorial  hori- 
zontal parallaxes  of  the  sun  and  planets,  the  arc 
of  the  parallax  (which  is  the  measure  of  the  angle) 
is  AN  ARC  OF  A  CIRCLE,  the  radius  of  which  is  the 
required  mean  distance  (see  page  91),  and. all  these 
examples  can  be  solved,  in  fact  are  resolved  in  my 
work  by  common  arithmetic,  and  hence  you  have 
the  positive  testimony,  the  most  certain  demonstra- 
tion, that  the  bisecting  line  of  an  isosceles  triangle, 
and  the  perpendicular  leg  of  any  right-angled  tri- 
angle coming  within  the  measures  of  angles  of  all 
the  equatorial  horizontal  parallaxes  can  be  deter- 
mined without  the  use  of  trigonometry. 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


I  have  done  what  T.  Dick  declared  to  be  impos- 
sible, and  in  my  solutions  of  the  diameters  of  the 
sun  and  planets  by  a  simple  proportion  in  common 
arithmetic,  have  invented  a  way  in  knowledge  un- 
known to  all  the  mathematicians  who  were  before 
me  ;  and  now  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  :  That 
though  all  the  trigonometers  are  unanimous  with 
Dick,  the  fact  is  brought  to  light  that  what  they 
pronounced  impossible  I  have  demonstrated  to  be 
mathematically  certain. 


MEASURES   OF  THE   CIRCLE. 

1.  MEASURE   IN   DEGREES.—  The    intelligent    of 
mankind  have  concluded  that  360°  shall  constitute 
the  measure  of  the  circle  in  degrees. 

2.  CIRCULAR  MEASURE.  —  A  circle  whose  radius 
is  unity,  the  measure  of  its  circumference,  retaining 
seven  places  of  decimals,  is  6.2831853. 

3.  The  circular  measure  of  one  second  of  a  de- 
gree is  0.0000048,  and  any  other  measure  between 
these  can  be  found  by  proportion. 

4.  ARTIFICIAL  MEASURE.  —  By  dividing  the  circu- 
lar measure  of  an  arc  of  an  angle,  by  the  natural 
tangent  of  the  angle,  a  quotient  is  obtained,  which 
I  have  constituted  the  artificial  measure  of  the  arc. 

How  to  find  the  perpendicular  leg  of  a  right- 
angled  triangle  when  the  angle  of  parallax  is  so 
large  that  the  linear  measure  of  its  arc  and  tangent 
disagree.  (See  page  97.)  In  former  cases,  the 
linear  measure  of  the  arc  was  given,  but  when  the 
linear  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  angle  is  unknown, 
substitute  for  it  the  artificial  measure  of  the  arc  of 
the  angle,  which  may  be  found  by  dividing  the  cir- 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE.  57 

cular  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  angle,  by  the  nat- 
ural tangent  of  the  arc  of  the  angle,  and  the  quo- 
tient will  be  the  required  term.  Then  by  Propor- 
tion : — As  the  circular  measure  of  the  arc  of  the 
angle  at  the  vertex  :  is  to  the  artificial  measure  of 
the  arc  :  :  so  is  the  base  line  of  the  right-angled 
triangle  :  to  the  linear  measure  of  the  required  side. 

THE    HEIGHT    OF   A   TOWER. 

What  is  the  height  of  a  tower,  if  a  line  of  100  feet 
drawn  from  the  bottom  on  a  horizontal  plane,  sub- 
tends an  angle  of  42°30'?  The  circular  measure  of 
42°30'=7417649  for  the  first  term  of  a  proportion, 
the  artificial  measure  of  42°30'=80.94953  for  the 
second  term,  and  base  line  of  the  triangle  100  feet 
for  the  third  term,  and  the  fourth  term  will  be 
the  required  height. 

Demonstration. — As  7417649  :  80.94953  :  :  100 
feet  :  109.13+feet,  which  is  the  height  of  the  tower. 

A  like  problem  to  find  the  height  of  a  tower  by 
Logarithms,  may  be  seen  in  T.  Dick's  works, 
Celestial  Scenery,  page  143,  which  1  will  lay  be- 
fore the  reader. 

DICK'S  PROBLEM. 

Logarithm  of  the  2d  term— Tangent  of  .  ...47|°=10.0379475 
Logarithm  of  A  B=100  feet — 3d  term..  2.0000000 


12.0379475 

Logarithm  of  radius — 1st  term 10.0000000 

Logarithm  of  C  B,  4th  term =1 09|=  2.0379475 

The  answer  109.13  feet,  by  my  method,  is  more 
exact  than  1091  feet  given  by  Dick.  This  exact- 
ness of  result  is  the  merit  and  glory  of  my  dis- 
covery, the  firm  base  on  which  it  rests. 

PROBLEM. — An  observer  at   the  mast-head  of  a 


INCIDENTS   AND    FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 

ship  66  feet  high,  looking  at  another  ship,  de- 
termines the  angle  of  depression  to  be  10C.  What 
is  the  distance  of  the  two  ships  from  each  other  ? 

Demonstration. — As  the  circular  measure  of  10°, 
which  is  1745329  :  is  to  the  artificial  measure  of 
10°,  which  is  98.98080  :  :  so  is  the  height  of  the 
mast  66  feet:  to  374.292  feet=22.68+rods. 

Again  my  answer,  22.68+rods,  is  more  exact 
than  that  given  by  Day  and  Thomson  in  a  like 
problem,  which  is  22.661  rods. 

If  the  height  of  an  object  is  known,  its  distance 
may  be  known,  by  the  circular  and  artificial 
measures  of  the  arc  of  the  angle  of  elevation,  arid 
the  linear  measure  of  its  height. 

PROBLEM. — A  man  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  from 
observations  of  a  ship's  mast,  which  is  known  to 
be  99  feet  high,  finds  its  angle  of  elevation  to  be 
o°30'.  What  is  the  distance  of  the  ship  from  the 
observer  ? 

Demonstration. — As  the  circular  measure  of  arc 
of  3i°,  which  is  0610865  :  is  to  the  artificial 
measure  of  arc  of  3£°,  which  is  99.88636  : :  so  is 
99  feet,  the  height  of  the  ship's  mast  :  to  1618.81 
feet=98.1+rods,  the  required  distance.  Day  and 
Thomson's  Trigonometry,  page  133,  makes  .the 
answer  98  rods. 

Practical  Navigation.  By  N.  Bowditch.  Third 
Edition.  Page  174. 

BOWDITCll'S  PROBLEM — VII. 

Being  96  fathoms  from  the  bottom  of  a  tower, 
I  found  its  altitude  above  the  horizontal  line  drawn 
from  my  eye  was  15°10' ;  required  the  elevation 
above  that  line  ? 

Demonstration. — As  the  circular  measure  of  arc 


INCIDENTS   AND   FACTS   IN   MY   LIFE. 


of  74°50',  which  is  1.3060880  :  is  to  the  artificial 
measure  of  arc  of  74P50',  which  is  35.40407  :  :  so 
is  96  fathoms  :  to  26.023  fathoms.  The  answer 
26.023  fathoms,  by  my  method,  is  more  exact,  by 
1.63  inch,  than  the  answer  26  fathoms  given  by 
Bowditch. 

Required  the  height  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument, 
if  a  line  of  80.44  feet,  "measured  from  the  bottom 
on  a  horizontal  plane,  subtends  an  angle  of  20°. 

First. — Find  the  circular  measure  of  the  arc  of 
the  given  angle,  which  is  obtained  by  the  propor- 
tion:—As  360°  :  20°  :  :  6.2831853  :  3490658  the 
circular  measure. 

Second. — From  a  table  of  natural  tangents  se- 
lect the  natural  tangent  of  the  given  angle,  which 
is  36379,  and  with  it  divide  the  circular  measure 
of  the  arc  of  the  given  angle,  and  the  quotient  will 
Sr'  be  the  artificial  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  given 
angle  ;  thus,  3490658^-36379=r95.90510  which  is 
the  artificial  measure  of  an  arc  of  20°.  Then  by 
proportion  :— As  3490658  :  95.90510  :  :  80.44 
feet:  221.00  feet,  the  required  height  of  the  Mon- 
ument. 

The  construction  and  use  of  tables  of  circular  and 
artificial  measures  of  arc  of  1"  and  upward,  and  a 
knowledge  of  a  table  of  natural  tangents,  will  un- 
fold the  science  of  right-angled  triangles,  in  a 
clearer  light  than  ever  known  before. 

The  teachers  of  our  common  schools,  after  a 
few  hours'  study,  are  prepared  to  adopt  under- 
standingly,  my  system  of  science,  for  finding  the 
sides  of  right-angled  triangles,  and  all  heights  and 
distances. 


fef 

c 


DISCOVERY 

OP 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  GRAVITATION, 

AND   THE 

MAJESTIC  MOTIVE  FOECE 

WHICH 

GENERATED  THE  DIURNAL  AND  YEARLY  REVOLUTIONS 

OP 

THE  HEAYENLY  BODIES. 


IN  TWO  FARTS. 


WILLIAM    ISAACS    L  O  O  M  I  S, 

Baptist  Castor. 


MARTINDALE    DEPOT,    COLUMBIA   00,,   N,    Y, 
1866. 


Okr 


ENTERED  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

WILLIAM  ISAACS  LOOMIS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


THOMAS  HOLMAN, 
Printer  and  Stereotyper. 


To  the  Clergy. 


IN  respect  to  the  strangeness  of  my  seeming  assumptions, 
when  compared  with  the  believed  certainty  of  the  system  of 
the  world  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  you^may  experience  a  shud- 
der in  consequence  of  my  questioning  the  truth  of  a  science 
which  you  have  thought  to  be  infallible,  and  grieve  that  a 
minister  should  be  so  unfortunate  ! 

But  if  you  will  call  to  mind  the  wise  men  of  the  past,  who 
were  compelled  from  the  force  of  facts  to  renounce  long-cher- 
ished notions,  you  may  then  begin  to  think  of  the  possibility 
of  my  having  discovered  the  origin  of  gravitation  and  its 
sequences. 

The  position  I  have  chosen  is  one  of  difficulty,  and  danger 
to  the  reputation  of  my  wisdom.  They  crucified  him,  has 
been  the  lot  of  many,  though  they  held  in  their  hands  the 
lamp  of  truth  !  Asking  for  the  sympathy  of  the  holy,  pure, 
and  noble  minded,  I  subscribe  myself  yours,  in  the  hope  of 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Master, 
in  the  feast  of  love  and  reason,  tempered  by  the  love  and 
intelligence  of  God.  WM.  ISAACS  LOOMIS. 


To  my  Countrymen. 


'  FINDING  occasion  to  take  exception  to  the  accepted  system 
of  astronomy,  I  freely  engage  in  the  work. 

In  my  investigations,  I  reached  the  conclusion  that  gravity 
is  spheroidal  and  not  universal ;  and  that  nature  requires  but 
one  motive  force  to  produce  the  dual,  or  diurnal  and  yearly, 
motions  of  a  heavenly  body. 

The  Newtonian  parallelogram  of  right-line  forces,  it  will 
be  seen,  can  not  be  resolved,  other  than  imaginatively,  into 
one  force  to  cause  the  curvilinear  motion  of  a  globe. 

The  demonstration  of  this  will  arouse  the  learned  world  to 
an  examination  of  the  true  right-line  projectile  and  sidewise 
impulse,  which  is  sufficient  to  cause  the  curvilinear  motion 
observed  in  a  heavenly  body  in  its  course  round  the  sun. 

In  the  sincere  conviction  that  the  time  has  come  to  begin 
a  reformation  in  the  Copernican  system  of  astronomy,  which 
is  supposed  to  be  founded  in  the  immutable  laws  of  nature, 
realizing  the  arduousness  of  the  labor,  and  fearing  the  fate  of 
my  illustrious  predecessors  in  innovation,  I  cross  over  the 
rubicon.  Gladiators  of  science,  to  your  posts,  and  like  men 
of  wisdom  defend  yourselves,  if  you  can  ! 

WM.  ISAACS  Looms. 


My  Offering  to  my  Nation, 


AN  American  consecrates  this  book  of  New  Philosophy  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America  and  his  Cabi- 
net ;  to  both  Houses  of  Congress  ;  to  the  Governors  and  Leg- 
islators of  the  States  and  Territories  ;  to  the  Officers  of  the 
Army  and  Navy  ;  to  the  Clergy,  and  other  learned  men ;  to 
every  civilian,  mother,  sister,  wife,  and  daughter ;  and  I  in- 
voke your  aid  to  help  establish  the  new  facts  brought  to  light 
in  this  book. 

With  this  offering,  I  breathe  the  prayer  that  our  people 
may  accomplish  a  national  destiny  that  shall  be  glorious  in 
the  eyes  of  all  men. 

Yours  in  the  hope  of  the  nation, 

WM.  ISAACS  Looms. 


:P.A:RT 


nan 


TRANSLATION : 

"  God  in  the  beginning  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth."— (Gen.  i.,  1.) 


Commentary. 

LET  us  conceive  of  the  words  heavens  and  earth 
to  mean,  in  part,  the  moving  worlds  or  globes  of 
light  which  are  to  be  seen  in  and  from  every  part 
of  the  expanse  ;  and  then  we  may  contemplate  the 
cause  of  the  celestial  motions,  which,  because  of 
the  adoption  of  false  science,  has  been  uncompre- 
hended,  until  now  for  the  first  time  revealed  by 
an  American. 

Origin  of  Gravitation. 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  acted  as  grand  master  of  cere- 
monies in  introducing  to  mankind  the  knowledge 
of  the  law  of  universal  gravitation,  and  he  freely 
confessed  his  inability  to  discover  the  cause  of  it. 

Since  the  demise  of  this  most  illustrious  of  mor- 
tals, the  family  of  the  scientific  have  been  satisfied 


WHAT   IS  TRUTH?" 


with  his  doctrine  of  gravity ;  and,  as  far  as  I  know, 
I  am  the  first  to  announce  the  knowledge  of 

The  Discovery  of  the  Origin  of  Gravitation. 

To  win  the  distinction  incident  to  so  great  a  dis- 
covery is  a  prize  of  more  value  than  the  gems  and 
fortunes  of  every  earthly  empire  ;  for  Fame  stands 
ready  to  crown  the  so  distinguished  king  of  the 
mental  realm. 

The  tempting  honor  and  the  nope  of  success  in 
this  race  for  the  mastery,  and  the  faith  that  the 
goal  was  in  view,  inspired  me  to  say :  I  will  try. 
Is  it  not  better  to  do  and  dare  in  a  noble  cause, 
though  failure  blight  the  hopes,  than  ignobly  to 
fail  in  consequence  of  fear  and  indolence  ? 

Universal  Gravitation. 

Universal  gravitation  is  said  to  be  a  compara- 
tive, reciprocal  attraction  of  all  particles  of  matter 
among  themselves,  and  that  every  particle  of  mat- 
ter in  the  universe  is  attracted  by  every  other 
particle  of  matter,  proportional  to  the  densities  and 
distances  of  the  particles  from  each  other. 

"What  is  Truth?" 

Is  the  doctrine  of  universal  gravitation  true  ?  Is 
it  a  fact  of  nature?  What  are  the  known  evidences 
of  its  existence  and  operations?  If  it  is  true,  and 
a  fact  of  nature,  and  operates  to  cause  the  periodic 
revolutions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  the  known  testi- 
monies of  its  existence  are  included  in  an  infer- 
ence. What !  an  inference !  Yes.  This  is  the 
rock  (?)  on  which  was  built  the  theory  of  the  revo- 
lutions of  celestial  bodies.  Because  it  appeared 
that  a  law  of  gravity  subjected  the  matter  of  the 
earth  and  all  bodies  moving  in  the  air  to  its  sway, 


MAGNITUDES. 


Newton  inferred  that  it  might  extend  to  the  moon 
and  all  other  bodies ;  and  Newton,  not  nature,  ex- 
tended its  empire,  not  knowing  that  the  inference 
was  drawn  from  spheroidal  gravitation,  the  power 
of  which  does  not  extend  beyond  the  atmosphere 
of  the  celestial  body.  I  claim  that,  so  far  as  the 
human  mind  is  concerned  in  its  possible  compre- 
hension of  knowable  objects,  there  is  not  in  the 
amplitude  of  space  even  a  solitary  witness  for  the 
verity  of  the  dogma  of  universal  gravitation. 

Should  the  curvilinear  motions  of  the  planets  be 
cited  as  proof  to  the  point,  it  can  be  demonstrated 
that  the  motion  of  a  globe  in  the  direction  of  a 
curve  line  in  nowise  depends  on  gravity. 

Nature  being  without  evidence  to  corroborate 
the  splendid  and  so  long  serviceable  inference,  it 
comes  under  the  ban  of  her  empire  ;  and  however 
audacious  the  charge  may  seem  to  be  to  learned 
pedants  and  gentlemanly  wise  men,  their  zeal  will 
be  somewhat  chastened  when  they  reflect  that  all 
the  evidence  they  can  bring  forth  in  defense  of  the 
law  of  universal  gravitation  is  an  inference.  Could 
more  have  been  done,  Newton  would  have  perfected 
the  work.  That  he  did  no  more,  is  a  bar  to  all 
further  inquiry  in  that  direction. 

Magnitudes. 

In  a  time  not  long  past,  the  orbit  of  Saturn  was 
thought  to  be  the  outmost  limit  of  the  planetary 
boundary  of  the  solar  system.  Then  the  magni- 
tude of  the  sun  was  said  to  be  five  hundred  times 
greater  than  all  the  magnitudes  of  all  the  other 
bodies  belonging  to  the  system  of  the  sun. 

Subsequent  discoveries  of  the  planet  Uranus, 
with  a  real  diameter  of  33,570  miles,  and  the 
planet  Neptune,  with  a  real  diameter  of  33,392 


DIAMETERS. 


miles,  with  their  moons,  and  nearly  one  hundred 
asteroids,  have  greatly  augmented  the  known 
weight  of  the  satellites  of  the  sun,  while  the  weight 
of  the  sun  has  sensibly  diminished. 

Astronomical  discoveries  are  climacteric,  and 
farther  conquests  in  knowledge  will  bring  to  light 
other  planets  which  revolve  around  the  sun,  in 
orbits  beyond  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  and  a  myriad 
of  comets,  besides  a  multitude  of  interplanetary 
asteroids,  all  of  which,  when  aggregated  and 
weighed  against  the  sun,  would  have  dragged  the 
sun  away  from  his  central  position,  had  the  doc- 
trine of  universal  gravity  of  matter,  as  taught  by 
Newton,  ever  been  true. 

Diameters. 

To  our  vision  the  apparent  diameters  of  bodies 
become  less  in  proportion  as  their  distances  are 
increased.  If  the  sun's  real  diameter  of  890,569 
miles  appears  so  small  when  viewed  from  the 
earth,  what  must  be  the  dimensions  of  each  star.! 
The  annual  parallax  and  apparent  diameters  of  the 
stars  fall  below  one  second  of  a  degree  ;  but  if, 
after  the  example  of  Herschel  and  others,  we  as- 
sume the  stars  to  have  an  annual  parallax,  and  also 
an  apparent  diameter  of  one  second  of  a  degree, 
the  distance  and  real  diameter  may  be  determined, 
and  the  result  will  be  that  each  star  contains  an 
amount  of  matter  equal  to  about  ten  millions  of 
suns.  These  things  being  premised,  what  is  there, 
if  the  law  of  universal  gravitation  is  true,  to  hinder 
the  planet  Neptune,  at  the  time  of  his  aphelion, 
from  falling  away  from  the  sun  toward  the  stars 
nearest  his  aphelion,  the  millions  of  which  and 
their  conjoined  attractions  constitute  a  force  to 


STELLAR   DISTANCES. 


attract  Neptune  which   leaves   that   of  the   sun's 
attractive  force  wholly  insignificant  ? 

Lexicographical  Disagreement. 

That  Webster  and  Worcester  should  disagree  in 
their  definitions  of  an  annual  parallax  is  startling. 
The  base  line  of  an  annual  parallax,  according  to 
Webster,  is  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit ;  the 
linear  measure  of  which,  according  to  my  system  of 
measurements  of  the  solar  system,  is  190,099,404 
miles.  The  base  line  of  an  annual  parallax,  accord- 
ing to  Worcester,  is  the  semi-diameter  of  the  earth's 
orbit,  the  linear  measure  of  which  is  95,049,702 
miles.  Worcester's  base  line  is  that  which  was  used 
by  the  astronomers  in  their  trigonometrical  solu- 
tions of  annual  parallaxes.  Hence,  in  every  case  of 
solution  of  stellar  parallax,  the  resulting  distance 
has  been  but  one  half  of  what  it  should  have  been. 

Webster's  choice  was  natural,  but  that  of  Wor- 
cester was  artificial.  From  Webster's  base  line  and 
points  of  observations  of  an  annual  parallax  of  1", 
the  resulting  distance  is  about  forty  trillions  of 
miles  ;  but  from  those  of  Worcester  the  resulting 
distance  is  about  twenty  trillions  of  miles. 

Now,  because  Webster's  base  line  is  true  to  na- 
ture, and  does  arise  in  the  observations  incidental 
to  an  annual  parallax,  and  does  not  mislead,  like 
Worcester's  is  sure  to  do,  being  nothing  more  than 
an  artificial  creation,  the  artifice  should  be  reject- 
ed, and  that  of  Webster,  on  account  of  its  integ- 
rity, should  take  its  place  in  the  true  expositions 
of  the  celestial  science. 

Stellar  Distances. 

Let  us  assume  that  a  star  seen  from  the  ends  of 
the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit  would  suffer  an 


REAL   DIAMETER  OP   A   STAR. 


apparent  angular  displacement  of  1"  of  a  degree. 
The  angle  so  subtended  is  called  the  star's  paral- 
lactic  angle.  Also  seen  from  the  star,  the  diameter 
of  the  earth's  orbit  would  subtend  an  angle  of  1" 
of  a  degree,  which  is  called  the  angle  of  the  paral- 
lax. 

Instead  of  solving  the  example  by  trigonometry 
and  logarithms,  I  propose  to  do  it  by  division, 
using  only  the  circular  and  linear  measures  of  the 
arc  of  the  parallax. 

EULE. 

Use  the  circular  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  paral- 
lax for  a  divisor,  and  the  linear  measure  of  the  arc 
of  the  parallax  for  a  dividend,  and  the  quotient 
will  be  the  required  distance. 

EXAMPLE. 

Required  the  distance  of  a  star,  given  the  cir- 
cular and  linear  measure  of  the  arc  of  its  annual 
parallax  of  1"  of  a  degree. 

The  circular  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  parallax, 
carried  to  seven  places  of  decimals,  is  0.0000048. 

The  linear  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  parallax 
equals  the  linear  measure  of  the  diameter  of  the 
orbit  of  the  earth,  arid  is  190,099,404  miles. 

Demonstration.  — 190,099,404.0000000  miles-r- 
48—39,604,042,500,000  miles,=the  star's  distance 
from  the  centre  of  the  sun. 

Real  Diameter  of  a  Star. 

In  nature,  the  parallax  of  a  heavenly  body,  its 
apparent  diameter,  the  base  line  of  the  parallax, 
and  the  real  diameter,  are  in  a  geometrical  ratio ; 
from  which  I  have  derived  the  following  rule, 
which  may  be  resolved  by  common  arithmetic. 


REAL   DIAMETER   OF    A   STAE. 


BULE. 

As  the  parallax  of  any  body  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  or  celestial  body,  is  to  its  apparent 
diameter,  so  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax  to  a 
fourth  term,  which  will  be  the  real  diameter. 

EXAMPLE. 

Given  the  annual  parallax,  apparent  diameter, 
and  base  line,  to  find  the  real  diameter  by  common 
arithmetic. 

Demonstration, — As  the  star's  annual  parallax  of 
1"  is  to  the  star's  apparent  diameter  of  1",  so  is 
the  base  line  of  the  parallax  of  190,099,404  miles 
to  190,099,404  miles,  which  is  the  star's  real  di- 
ameter. 

In  the  use  of  my  two  rules,  all  examples  in 
respect  to  finding  distances  and  diameters  may  be 
resolved,  and  the  royal  road  to  the  solutions  of  the 
sublime  examples  afforded  by  astronomy  is  thrown 
open  to  all  who  understand  common  arithmetic. 
I  am  aware  of  the  objections  which  may  be  urged 
in  opposition  to  my  views  011  this  point :  that  there 
is  not  a  star  but  has  a  less  amount  of  parallax  and 
apparent  diameter  than  those  I  have  mentioned. 
I  accept  the  objection,  because  it  makes  in  my 
favor ;  for  if  you  reduce  the  parallax  and  apparent 
diameter,  the  star's  distance  is  correspondingly  in- 
creased, and  its  real  diameter  augmented.  What 
I  wished  to  do,  was  to  find  the  least  distance  with- 
in which  there  is  not  a  star,  and,  gaining  an  ap- 
proximate or  least  probable  size  of  a  star,  bring 
the  vast  bulks  of  the  star- worlds  to  bear  on  the 
subject  of  universal  gravitation,  and  I  am  assured 
that  the  learned  will  find  no  just  cause  of  objection 
against  the  hypothesis. 


NEPTUNE'S  OPPOSITION. 


Neptune's  Opposition. 

At  the  time  of  an  opposition  of  the  planet  Nep- 
tune, I  determined  his  distance  from  the  sun  to  be 
2,850,115,900  miles. 

Being  prepared  with  the  necessary  magnitudes 
and  distances,  we  may  now  represent  the  distance 
of  Neptune  from  the  sun  by  unity,  or  1.  Then  the 
distance  of  Neptune  from  the  sun  will  be  to  Nep- 
tune's distance  from  the  stars  as  1  to  13,895;  and 
estimating  the  bulk  of  the  sun  as  unity,  and  com- 
paring the  bulk  of  the  sun  with  the  bulk  of  a  star, 
the  sun  will  be  to  the  star  as  1  to  about  10,000,000. 
What  if  the  matter  composing  the  sun  is  five  hun- 
dred times  greater  than  that  of  all  the  bodies  of 
his  system?  The  matter  of  a  single  star  is  millions 
of  times  greater  than  that  of  the  sun  ;  and  this 
enormous  mass,  conjoined  with  millions  of  like 
bodies,  should,  if  the  accepted  theory  is  true,  com- 
pel Neptune  to  increase  his  distance  from  the  sun 
and  lessen  his  distance  from,  the  stars.  Bat  this  is 
not  the  case,  and  never  can  be  ;  and  the  absence  of 
such  an  active  force  can  not  be  explained  away  by 
the  apology  of  the  vast  distance. 

Gravity,  to  be  universal,  must  act.  And  if  under 
any  circumstances  it  does  not,  what  next  follows, 
but  that  gravity  is  not  universal  and  stands  im- 
peached? 

Contemplate  the  planet  Neptune,  in  the  pomp 
of  his  yearly  journey,  moving  round  the  sun.  At 
the  point  of  his  aphelion,  not  only  one,  but  millions 
of  stars  nearer  to  him  than  others  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  planet  toward  the  sun  reach  forth  their 
long  arms  of  gravitation,  if  they  have  any,  to  em- 
brace this  outside  world.  But  no.  Neptune,  true 
to  the  one  right-line  projectile  force  which  gave 


(6) 


COMETS. 


birth  to  his  motions,  and  owning  fealty  to  no  other, 
pursues  his  continuous  journey  without  being  in  the 
least  disturbed  by  any  other  force. 

For  a  moment  consider  gravity  under  the  figure  of 
weight.  The  weight  of  the  matter  of  the  sun  is  to 
the  weight  of  the  matter  of  a  star  as  1  to  10,000,000. 
Multiply  this  large  figure  by  the  many  millions  of 
stars  nearest  to  Neptune,  to  represent  the  weight 
of  the  stellar  matter  to  be  opposed  to  the  weight 
of  the  sun  against  Neptune.  Then  the  square  of 
the  distances  considered,  the  weight  of  the  sun 
against  Neptune,  compared  with  the  weight  of  the 
stars  against  Neptune,  will  .cause  the  weight  of  the 
sun  to  appear  lighter  than  the  fine  dust  of  the 
balance,  and  of  no  moment  in  the  inquiry,  What 
causes  the  curvilinear  motion  of  the  planet  Nep- 
tune? 

Comets. 

H.  Westphalen,  in  his  Elements  ofHalleifs  Comet, 
assigns  3, 370, 300, 000  miles  as  the  greatest  distance 
of  the  comet  from  the  sun.  This  is  more  than  five 
hundred  and  twenty  millions  of  miles  further  from 
the  sun  than  is  the  aphelion  point  of  Neptune's 
orbit. 

Consequently,  Halley's  Comet,  when  at  his  aphe- 
lion, is  most  favorably  situated  tabe  brought  under 
the  attractions  of  the  stars  nearest  to  the  aphelion 
point ;  but  such  attractions,  if  they  exist,  live  only 
in  inference.  While  the  possibility  of  a  body  fall- 
ing into  the  sun  in  consequence  of  his  attraction 
has  been  assumed,  none  of  the  sons  of  science  have 
ever  been  exercised  with  the  fear  of  the  bodies  of 
the  system  of  the  sun  falling  away  outward  as  an 
effect  of  the  gravity  of  the  stars.  The  force  that 
originated  the  curvilinear  motion  of  this  comet, 


COMETS. 


and  the  regularity  of  its  periodic  revolution,  forbid 
the  possibility  of  such  a  deflection  ever  taking 
place. 

COMET  or  1811. 

The  comet  of  1811  requires  three  thousand 
years,  measured  as  we  measure  years  on  the  earth, 
to  complete  its  year  of  revolution  round  the  sun, 
and  when  at  its  aphelion  point  its  distance  from 
the  sun  is  160,000,000,000  of  miles. 

The  aphelion  distance  of  this  comet  being  made 
unity,  or  1,  if  it  is  compared  with  my  stellar  dis- 
tance, bears  the  proportion  of  1  to  247  ;  or  if  com- 
pared with  the  astronomers'  distance  of  the  stars, 
is  as  1  to  123  +,  exhibiting  a  very  near  approach 
to  the  stars.  Were  the  doctrine  of  the  gravitation 
of  the  celestial  orbs  among  themselves  consonant 
with  nature,  this  comet  must  obey  the  superior 
attraction,  and  launch  away  into  the  depths  of  the 
wilderness  of  stars,  and  revolve  around  stellar  orbs, 
whose  magnitudes  are  the  exposition  of  God's  al- 
mightiness.  But  there  being  no  mutual  attractions 
of  orbs  among  themselves,  or  exterior  to  the  at- 
mospheres of  the  heavenly  bodies,  they  are  left 
free  to  obey  the  force  which  once  having  marked 
their  ways,  they  follow  in  those  paths  continually. 
COMETS  OF  1680  AND  1843. 

The  perihelion,  or  nearest  distance  to  the  sun,  of 
the  comet  of  1680  was  only  148,428  miles. 

The  perihelion,  or  nearest  distance  to  the  sun, 
of  the  comet  of  1843  wus  only  63,613  miles. 

Let  the  reader  suppose  that  the  force  of  what  is 
called  the  gravity  of  the  sun  is  exerted  on  the 
comets  of  1680  and  1843  at  the  instant  they  at- 
tained their  aphelion  points,  and  that  the  New- 
tonian centripetal  and  centrifugal  forces  at  those 


A   CONCESSION.  11 


times  are  equally  adjusted  to  each  other.  The 
centrifugal  force  must  remain  constant ;  but  the 
centripetal  force,  as  the  comets  move  from  their 
greatest  to  their  least  distances  from  the  sun,  will 
increase  as  the  square  of  the  distances  decrease. 
Therefore,  when  the  comets  have  reached  their 
nearest  distances  from  the  sun,  the  centripetal 
force  being  so  overwhelmingly  increased,  and  the 
centrifugal  or  projectile  force  being  the  same  con- 
stant quantity  at  either  equinox  or  solstice  of  these 
cometary  orbits,  what  is  there  to  prevent  these 
comets  rushing  to  the  body  of  the  sun?  But  they 
do  not.  Is  it  because  they  are  such  anomalous 
bodies,  or  is  there  something  more  to  be  known  be- 
fore we  have  the  grand  secret  of  curvilinear  motion  ? 
A  Concession. 

The  difficulties  of  my  situation  are  relieved  not  a 
little  by  concessions  of  the  very  learned  in  this 
science,  that  there  have  been  observed  phenomena 
which  can  not  be  accounted  for  by  the  law  of  uni- 
versal gravitation,  nor  can  the  accepted  laws  of 
motion  be  relied  on  to  explain  the  lawless  appear- 
ances. Pertinent  are  the  examples  of  the  tails  of 
the  comets  of  1680  and  1843,  as  they  were  known 
to  move  round  the  sun,  "in  the  manner  of  a 
straight  and  rigid  rod,  in  defiance  of  the  law  of 
gravitation,  nay,  even  of  the  received  laws  of 
motion."  (See  Herschel's  Outlines,  p.  323.) 

The  lamented  Mitchel,  whose  beautiful  grace  of 
diction  suffers  no  loss  when  contrasted  with  the 
grand  pomp  of  T.  Dick's  style,  says  of  the  tail  and 
nucleus  of  a  comet:  "4.  That  the  force  which 
ejects  the  tail  can  not  be  gravitation.  5.  That 
the  power  lodged  in  the  nucleus,  and  by  whose 
energy  the  particles  composing  the  tail  are  again 


TAKE   IT  FOR   GRANTED. 


reabsorbed  into  the  head,  can  not  be  gravitation." 
(See  O.  M.  Mitchel's  Popular  Astronomy,  p.  298.) 

Does  it  now  look  as  if  the  day-spring  of  hope  and 
truth  had  burst  in  upon  our  expectations?  As  if 
the  morning  star  in  its  glow  of  promise  preluded  a 
day  of  glory  in  which  humanity,  in  communion  with 
nature,  might  learn  how  God  worked,  and  by  what 
agency?  Have  we  not  reached  a  point  where 
the  concessions  of  Herschel  and  Mitchel  strip  the 
law  of  universal  gravitation  of  some  part  of  its 
empire  ?  If  some  of  the  heavenly  bodies  disdain 
to  move  round  the  sun,  as  an  effect  of  gravitation 
and  the  received  laws  of  motions,  why  may  not  all 
bodies  be  equally  independent?  It  is  a  favorite 
notion  with  those  who  have  dealt  in  celestial 
mechanics  that  the  reciprocal  gravity  of  the 
matter  of  the  celestial  spheres  among  themselves 
is  greater  at  less  distances,  less  at  greater  distances, 
and  that  every  particle  of  matter  is  subject  to  this 
law. 

Take  it  for  Granted. 

When  the  earth  is  at  the  aphelion  point  of  its 
orbit,  its  distance  from  the  sun,  is  (3,000,000)  three 
millions  of  miles  greater,  than  when  at  its  peri- 
helion or  least  distance  ;  consequently,  every  pound 
of  matter  of  and  on  the  earth  should  weigh  more 
at  the  earth's  least  distance,  and  less  at  the  greatest 
distance.  But  a  succession  of  the  changes  of 
weight,  incidental  to  the  sun's  attraction,  is  un- 
known among  men. 

ILLUSTRATION. 

Assume  that  somewhere  on  the  equator  there 
is  located  a  spiral  spring  balance,  which  in  its  very 
nature  could  not  be  sensibly  affected  by  the  force 


DO   YOU   BELIEVE   IT? 


of  universal  gravitation,  and  capable  of  weighing 
the  steamship  Great  Eastern.  With  the  ship 
hanging  or  resting  on  the  balance,  its  weight,  being 
determined  at  any  point,  would  be  in  a  continual 
change,  as  the  earth  in  the  course  of  its  yearly 
journey  moved  round  the  sun ;  and  this  mutation 
would  also  be  true  of  the  matter  of  all  other 
heavenly  bodies,  if  the  sun's  attraction  held  the 
empire  with  which  Newton  endowed  it.  But  the 
constancy  of  weight  of  the  matter  of  the  earth,  and 
all  that  pertains  to  it,  whether  the  earth  is  at  its 
least,  greatest,  or  intermediate  distances  from  the 
sun,  is  proof  conclusive  that  the  square  of  the  dis- 
tance has  nothing  to  do  in  respect  to  all  earthly 
things. 

Do  you  Believe  it? 

The  gravity  of  the  earth  being  exclusively  sphe- 
roidal, having  more  than  an  inferential  existence, 
can  be  demonstrated  to  the  perception  of  the  in- 
quirer, and  its  activity  be  determined.  Again  call  to 
mind  the  steamship  on  the  equator,  as  before  men- 
tioned, with  its  weight  determined  at  the  present 
rate  of  the  motion  of  the  earth  on  its  axis.  Now, 
because  spheroidal  attraction  exists,  every  change 
in  the  time  of  the  earth's  rotation  would  be  accom- 
panied with  a  change,  not  only  of  the  weight  of  the 
Great  Eastern,  but  also  of  the  whole  matter  of  the 
earth.  If  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  earth  should 
be  diminished,  the  weight  of  the  ship  would  be 
correspondingly  increased,  and  any  change  of  the 
time  of  the  axial  rotation  would  cause  a  change 
of  the  weight  of  the  matter  of  the  earth  and  every- 
thing in  relation  to  it.  The  reason  why  we  can 
demonstrate  the  change  of  weights,  from  spheroidal 
gravitation  incident  to  a  change  in  the  time  of 


THE   MATTER   OF   THE  UNIVERSE. 


rotary  motion,  is  placed  beside  the  inoperative  law 
of  universal  gravitation,  and  the  reader  is  request- 
ed to  closely  examine  into  the  nature  of  things. 

The    Matter  of  the   Universe. 

REASONINGS  IN  PHILOSOPHY. 
I. 

The  matter  of  the  universe  when  in  a  state  of  rest 
was  without  any  kind  of  attraction  or  tendency  to 
any  centre,  and  its  weight  was  absolute. 

II. 

When  the  matter  of  the  universe  was  passed  from 
a  state  of  rest  to  a  state  of  motion  round  the  axes  of 
the  oblate  spheroids  which  compose  the  family  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  the  matter  of  each  oblate 
sphere  tended  to  its  axial  centre,  and,  being  opposed 
by  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  body,  pressed  less 
heavily  than  it  otherwise  would  have  done  if  the 
centrifugal  force  had  been  less,  and  therefore  the 
weight  of  the  matter  of  a  moving  oblate  spheroid  is 
less  than  its  absolute  weight. 

III. 

.  The  gravity  or  tendency  of  the  matter  of  a  mov- 
ing oblate  spheroid  is  determined  by  the  amount  of 
centrifugal  force  generated  by  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  sphere,  and  the  gravity  is  increased  or  diminish- 
ed in  proportion  as  you  may  find  the  rotary  motion 
diminished  or  increased  from  a  given  standard,  so 
that  the  measure  of  the  force  of  the  gravity  of  a 
heavenly  body  is  a  creature  of  circumstances. 

IV. 

The  tendency  of  the  matter  of  a  sphere  to  its  axial 
centre,  which  is  the  force  of  its  attraction  of  gravi- 


THE   MATTER   OF   THE  UNIVERSE. 


tation,  was  originated  coeval  with  the  force  that  gen- 
erated the  rotary  motion  of  the  sphere.  Now  if  the 
matter  of  the  sun  was  solid  gold,  and  his  centrifugal 
force  was  increased  to  equal  the  absolute  weight  of 
the  gold,  the  weight  of  the  sun  would  be  thrown  into 
a  state  of  equilibrium,  not  tending  to  his  centre, 
and  without  gravity.  Now  reduce  the  force  of  the 
rotary  motion,  which  will  reduce  the  centrifugal 
force,  and  instantly  the  mass  of  the  matter  of  the 
sun  will  tend  to  his  axial  centre,  and  this  attraction 
of  gravitation  may  be  increased  more  and  more,  as 
the  rotary  motion  of  the  sun  is  reduced  less  and  less, 
rendering  certain  what  I  before  said :  That  the 
attraction  of  the  gravity  of  a  sphere  is  a  creature 
wholly  of  circumstances. 

V. 

To  suppose  that  matter,  in  its  very  nature,  is 
necessarily  endowed  with  the  mysterious  power  of 
universal  gravitation,  is  to  assume  that  matter  is  en- 
dowed with  power  to  move,  and  does  move  itself  by 
its  own  inhering  power,  which  is  contrary  to  nature  ; 
arid  in  doing  so,  Newton  on  the  attraction  of  gravi- 
tation is  contradicted  by  Newton  on  the  impossibili- 
ty of  matter  to  move  itself. 

VI. 

A  WONDEE. 

Four  resulting  motions  generated  by  a  single 
right-line  force. 

The  phenomena  of  the  four  resulting  motions 
known  to  belong  to  a  moving  oblate  sphere  arose 
from  a  single  right-line  sidewise  projectile  force 
which  changed  the  state  of  its  matter  from  rest  to 
motion.  They  are  : 

1.  The  forward  curvilinear  motion  of  the  sphere. 


IT   IS   SO   IN   NATURE. 


2.  The  rotary  motion  of  the  sphere. 

3.  The  centrifugal  motion  of  the  sphere. 

4.  The  centripetal  motion,  or  the  tendency  of  the 
matter  of  the  sphere  to  its  axial  centre. 

These  four  motions  and  their  forces  were  the 
offspring  of  one  right-line  force,  and  they  were 
simultaneously  started  into  being. 

The  novelty  of  their  begetting,  the  certainty  of 
their  relation,  their  antiquity,  and  hitherto  unknown 
origin,  constitute  one  of  those  beautiful  revelations 
of  truth  so  well  calculated  to  advance  knowledge. 

The  Natural  Law  of  Gravitation. 

Right  or  wrong,  it  is  a  bold  endeavor  to  attempt 
to  point  out  the  way  of  light  and  truth,  on  a  sub- 
ject in  which  the  colossus  of  intelligence  was  im- 
mersed in  densest  darkness.  Newton  (in  his  Prin- 
cipia,  p.  506  of  Book  111,)  says:  "But  hitherto  I 
have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  cause  of  those 
properties  of  gravity  from  phenomena."  The  mere 
thought  that  I  am  able  to  demonstrate  what  gravity 
is,  and  how  it  was  originated,  is  as  refreshing  as  the 
odors  of  Paradise,  and  all- animating  as  the  attain- 
ment of  the  utmost  bound  of  earthly  hope. 
It  is  so  in  Nature. 

The  natural  law  of  gravity  is  spheroidal  and  not 
universal,  and  it  is  the  tendency  of  the  matter  of  a 
moving  oblate  sphere  to  its  axial  centre,  and  was 
generated  by  the  force  which  gave  rise  to  the  ro- 
tary motion  of  the  sphere.  Without  the  action 
of  the  rotary  motion  of  the  sphere  its  gravity  ceases 
to  be,  and  matter  then  could  be  contemplated  only 
in  a  state  of  absolute  rest.  This  tendency  of  the 
matter  of  a  sphere  to  the  centre  of  its  axial  motion 
1  call  the  centripetal  force  of  the  sphere,  and  it  is 


THE   ORIGIN    OP   SPHEROIDAL   GRAVITATION. 

to  be  distinguished  from  what  Newton  calls  the  cen- 
tripetal force  to  urge  all  the  matter  of  the  globe  to 
its  centre ;  and  also  that  centripetal  force  of  the 
sun,  which  Newton  thought  compelled  the  celestial 
bodies  to  move  in  the  direction  of  curve  lines. 

Therefore,  the  gravity  or  centripetal  force  of  the 
sun  is  the  tendency  of  the  matter  of  the  sun  to  his 
axial  centre.  Opposed  by  the  sun's  centrifugal 
force,  his  weight  will  be  relatively  less  than  his  ab- 
solute weight,  and  the  force  of  this  relative  weight 
will  be  the  measure  of  the  force  of  the  gravity  of 
the  sun.  The  same  is  true  of  every  oblate  moving 
sphere  in  the  universe,  be  it  a  planet,  satellite,  as- 
teroid, comet,  or  star ;  and  any  other  kind  of  gravi- 
tation is  unknown  in  the  creation,  and  not  necessary 
to  account  for  any  celestial  phenomena. 

Inferences. 

1.  If  any  celestial  body  is  seen  or  known  to  have 
an  axial  rotation,  it  must  be  an  oblate  spheroid. 

2.  If  any  celestial  body  is  seen  or  known  to  move 
in  the  direction  of  a  curve  line,  it  must  have  an  axial 
rotation  also  ;  and  from  the  phenomenon  of  the  cur- 
vilinear motion,  the  axial  motion  may  be  inferred, 
and  also  the  oblate  form  may  be  inferred  without 
further  observations  ;  for  in  nature,  a  body  moving 
in  free   space,  its   before-mentioned  motions   and 
form  are  inseparable  from  each  other,  being  works 
of  nature,  from  the  order  and  relation  of  which  there 
is  never  a  departure. 

The  Origin  of  Spheroidal  Gravitation. 

It  is  a  truth  to  be  admitted,  and  certainly  with- 
out the  fear  or  possibility  of  believing  error,  that 
in  the  creation  of  matter  it  was  not  endowed  with 
power  to  move  itself. 
2 


THE   ORIGIN   OF   SPHEROIDAL   GRAVITATION. 

The  God  of  nature  having  gathered  the  matter  of 
the  celestial  orbs,  and  assigned  to  each  one  its  quan- 
tity and  variety,  each  celestial  body,  by  a  single  mo- 
tive sidewise  force,  was  urged  into  four  distinct  mo- 
tions, one  of  which  was  the  tendency  of  the  matter 
of  the  sphere  to  its  axial  centre.  Now  because 
this  tendency  of  the  matter  of  a  celestial  orb  to  its 
centre  is  the  centripetal  force,  or  gravity  of  the 
matter  of  the  orb,  and  there  being  no  other  demon- 
strable kind  of  gravity  of  attraction,  we  find  the  ori- 
gin of  the  gravitation  of  each  one  of  the  celestial 
bodies  in  the  right-line  forces  which  caused  the  mo- 
tions of  every  celestial  body.  Hence  the  motive 
force  which  caused  the  motions  of  the  earth  gener- 
ated the  gravity  of  the  earth. 

EXPERIMENT. 

Experiment  in  which  it  will  be  shown  that  a 
given  quantity  of  matter  may  be  withdrawn  from 
the  gravity  of  the  earth  and  brought  under  another 
force  of  gravity. 

Suppose  a  truly  spherical  globe,  twenty-four 
inches  in  diameter,  held  by  some  adequate  means  in 
a  relative  state  of  rest ;  at  a  distance  of  five  feet  from 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  ready  to  have  communicated 
to  it  a  motion  on  an  axis  parallel  with  the  horizon. 

A  globe  so  suspended  is  an  example  of  a  certain 
amount  of  matter  withheld  from  the  visible  attrac- 
tion of  spheroidal  gravitation. 

If  the  globe  should  be  disengaged  it  would  fall 
to  the  earth  ;  or  if  immediately  under  it  there  was 
an  ordinary  well,  or  shaft,  or  deepest  artesian  well 
of  capacity  to  admit  the  globe,  it  would  find  its  way 
to  the  deepest  unobstructed  point.  The  globe,  in  its 
descent,  is  a  visible  example  of  matter  subjected  to 
the  attraction  of  spheroidal  gravitation. 


THE   CHANGE.  19 


Let  us  now  pour  on  the  globe,  as  before  sup- 
posed, above  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  relatively 
at  rest,  a  quantity  of  liquid,  which,  being  free  to 
flow,  diffuses  itself  over  the  surface  of  the  globe, 
and  from  the  underside  is  seen  to  trickle  to  tho 
earth ;  if  the  solid  globe  could  be  resolved  gradually 
into  a  iluid  mass,  drop  by  drop  it  also  would  fall  to 
the  earth,  being  entirely  subjected  to  the  attraction 
of  spheroidal  gravitation. 

The  Change. 

But  the  case  will  be  substantially  changed,  not- 
withstanding the  globe  is  within  the  atmosphere  of 
the  earth,  and  subject  to  the  force  of  its  gravity ; 
for  if  you  communicate  to  the  globe  a  rotary 
motion,  the  matter  of  the  globe  will  be'  withdrawn 
from  the  attraction  of  the  earth,  and  tend  to  the 
centre  of  the  globe.  This  new  force  of  gravity  was 
generated  with  the  axial  motion  of  the  globe. 

Now  pour  on  the  revolving  globe  a  small  quan- 
tity of  water,  which  being  arrested  by  the  force  of 
the  axial  rotation,  the  water  and  the  entire  matter 
of  the  globe  seek  and  tend  to  its  axial  centre. 
This  tendency  of  the  matter  of  the  revolving 
globe  and  the  water  revolving  on  its  surface  is  an 
example  of  the  existence  of  spheroidal  gravita- 
tion. Now  mark!  When  the  globe  was  supposed  at 
rest,  its  matter  and  the  water  poured  on  it  tended 
to  gravitate  to  the  earth  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  globe 
had  communicated  to  it  a  rotary  motion,  its  matter 
tended  to  gravitate  to  its  centre,  and  its  proxim- 
ity to  the  earth  in  no  degree  interfered  with  this 
new  direction  of  the  gravity  of  the  matter  of  the 
globe.  The  same  must  be  true  of  a  larger  quan- 
tity of  denser  matter  poured  on  the  rotating  globe, 
such  as  molasses  or  tar,  which,  diffusing  itself  over 


DIFFICULTIES   IN   HUMAN   THEORIES. 


the  surface  of  the  globe,  will  gather  thickest  at  its 
equator,  thus  changing  the  form  of  the  globe  into 
that  of  an  oblate  spheroid. 

This,  in  a  small  but  effective  degree,  shows  how 
matter  may  be  arrested  and  gather  round  a  centre 
of  centripetal  force,  and  why  the  matter  of  a  rotat- 
ing globe  is  restricted  to  the  form  of  an  oblate 
sphere. 

Difficulties  in  Human  Theories. 

The  dogma  of  universal  gravitation  involves  the 
idea  that  every  heavenly  body  is  continually  falling 
toward  every  other  heavenly  body. 

To  prevent  the  bodies  colliding  in  a  grand  catas- 
trophe, a  right-line  motive  projectile  force  was 
invented,  and  the  attracting  force  of  the  sun,  con- 
joined with  the  planets'  projectile  force,  simultane- 
ously drawing  and  driving  every  heavenly  body  in 
right  lines  perpendicular  to  each  other,  constitutes 
a  confusion  of  motions  that  could  be  thought  to  be 
reasonable  only  by  men  who  allowed  their  reason  to 
be  prostrated  in  devotion  to  the  false  second  law  of 
motion.  In  the  words  of  a  celebrated  astronomer  : 
"In  one  sense,  the  moon  is  continually  falling  to  the 
earth-.7'  And  so  must  the  moon  and  earth  be  con- 
tinually falling  to  the  sun,  and  the  sun  be  contin- 
ually falling  to  both  earth  and  moon.  The  moons 
of  Jupiter  are  continually  falling  to  their  primary, 
and  both  Jupiter  and  his  moons  are  continually 
falling  to  the  sun ;  and  the  sun  continually  falling  to 
Jupiter  and  his  moons.  In  fact,  according  to  the 
received  theory,  every  satellite  of  the  solar  system 
is  falling  to  the  sun,  and  the  sun  is  falling  toward 
every  other  celestial  body  of  the  solar  system. 
This,  if  true,  is  truly  a  grand  contortion  of  nature  ; 
a  universal  and  perpetual  tumbling.  If  you  please, 


DIFFICULTIES   IN   HUMAN  THEORIES. 


you  will  now  suppose  with  La  Place  and  Pontecou- 
lent,  that  originally  the  centripetal  force  of  matter 
gathered  a  nebulous  mass  out  of  which  to  form 
the  solar  system,  and  that  the  axial  rotation  of  this 
mass  generated  a  centrifugal  force  which  was 
competent  to  throw  off  into  space,  from  time  to 
time,  first  a  mass  to  constitute  the  planet  Neptune 
and  his  moons,  and  successively  every  other  celes- 
tial body  of  the  system.  As  the  mass  of  matter 
subsequently  to  be  known  as  the  planet  Neptune 
and  his  moons  was  hurled  forth  into  space,  it 
must,  according  to  the  received  first  law  of  motion, 
have  moved  forward  in  the  direction  of  a  right 
line.  When  it  had  reached  its  greatest  distance  in 
that  line,  how,  or  by  what  means,  was  a  projectile 
force,  at  that  instant,  ready  to  impinge  on  the 
mass  and  urge  it  in  the  direction  of  a  line  perpen- 
dicular to  the  line  in  which  it  had  moved  in  the 
interval  from  the  time  of  the  separation  to  that  of 
its  greatest  distance  from  the  centre  of  the  original 
mass  ?  The  question  involves  a  difficulty  that  true 
astronomy  never  could  or  would  involve,  fatal 
alike  to  the  La  Placean  origin  of  the  celestial 
spheres,  and  the  dogma  of  universal  gravitation. 

It  is  particularly  worthy  of  notice,  that,  in  the 
La  Placean  origin  of  the  universe,  at  the  instant 
when  the  mass  of  matter  to  be  afterward  known 
as  the  planet  Neptune  and  his  moons  was  ready 
to  be  separated  from  the  great  body  of  matter, 
in  consequence  of  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  mass, 
all  attraction  between  the  mass  to  be  separated 
and  that  that  remained  was  not  only  overcome, 
but  more  than  that,  by  an  amount  of  force  equal 
to  the  centrifugal  force  which  launched  the  mass 
into  space. 


22 


DIFFICULTIES   IN   HUMAN   THEORIES. 


If,  then,  at  that  time  the  attraction  of  the  mat- 
ter of  the  whole  solar  system  was  more  than 
overcome  by  centrifugal  force,  and  the  mass  of 
Neptune  could  be  no  longer  held  by  it,  and  the  at- 
traction growing  less  and  less  every  instant  as  the 
square  of  the  distance  increased,  how  absurd  even 
to  think  of  the  mere  possibility,  much  less  to  state 
it  as  science,  that  when  Neptune  was  within  one 
inch  of  the  surface  of  all  the  matter  of  the  solar 
system,  himself  alone  excepted,  and  under  the 
whole  force  of  the  attraction  of  the  whole  solar 
system,  he  escaped  from  it,  and  fled  away  to  a 
distance  of  2,850,115,900  miles,  but  was  there 
arrested  by  the  attraction  of  the  sun  which  now 
controls  Neptune's  orbital  motion;  the  sun,  by  its 
attraction  alone,  now  doing  what  the  whole  solar 
system  could  not  do  by  its  whole  attractive  force 
when  Neptune's  proximity  to  the  surface  of  the 
whole  mass  was  less  than  one  hundred  barley- 
corns !  Who  can  believe  it? 


SECOND. 


Treatise  on  Motions. 

IN  WHICH  IT  IS  ESTABLISHED  THAT  THE  RESULTING  MOTIONS 
WHICH  INHERE  IN  EACH  HEAVENLY  BODY  WERE  GENERA- 
TED BY  A  RIGHT-LINE  SIDEWISE  FORCE. 

A  LAUDABLE  ambition  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of 
nature  will  ennoble  men,  and  in  every  sense  better 
qualify  a  child  of  God  to  enjoy  communion  with 
his  Maker.  The  High  and  Holy  One,  who  inhabits 
eternity,  has  made  the  earth  man's  birth  and  burial 
place.  In  it  he  blooms  like  a  flower,  and  fades 
away  like  a  leaf.  Now  on  God's  footstool  confess- 
ing his  sins  and  asking  for  pardon  through  the  cru- 
cified Redeemer,  and  then  ready  to  pass  through 
the  porch  of  death,  on  his  way  to  immortality,  to 
the  house  of  God,  and  the  home  of  the  holy.  There 
and  then  all  the  sanctified  in  Jesus  will  have  learned 
the  science  of  nature,  and  say  in  glorious  acclaim : 
Great  and  marvelous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God 
Almighty ! 

How  many  godlike  intelligences, — endowed  by 
their  Creator  with  capability,  if  put  forth,  to  stand 
in  the  first  rank  with  heroes  in  mind,  and  lead  the 
way  in  developing  facts  of  nature, — content  them- 
selves in  providing  food  for  the  stomach,  nerves, 
and  blood,  but  leave  the  mind  to  wander  in  inde- 
scribable darkness,  having  no  better  understanding 
of  the  celestial  motions  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot 


TREATISE   ON   MOTIONS. 


of  the  colt  of  a  wild  ass.  And  what  is  the  number 
of  ministers  and  Christians  who  might,  if  they 
would  try,  be  able  to  grasp  the  solar  and  sidereal 
spheres,  but  choose  to  content  themselves  with  ig- 
noring the  works  of  God  in  nature,  as  a  kind  of 
second-hand  affair,  unworthy  of  a  Christian's  devo- 
tional notice,  and  go  to  their  graves  indifferent  to 
the  grandeur  of  their  heavenly  Father's  empire. 
Strangers  to  that  vast  field  of  vision,  in  which  he 
designs  to  show  the  triumph  of  his  redeeming  and 
eternal  love. 

An  advance  in  all  attainable  knowledge  should 
be  determined  by  every  one,  and  to  know  for 
thyself  is  the  acme  of  the  feast  of  reason ;  for  that 
which  is  known  to  be  true,  by  the  evidence  of  dem- 
onstration to  the  reasoning  powers  of  the  human 
mind,  can  never  be  other  than  true. 

Had  the  followers  of  Aristotle  required  of  their 
teacher  one  reason,  or  had  one  of  his  disciples  tried 
an  experiment  to  elucidate  the  law  of  falling 
bodies,  as  Galileo  did  at  the  Leaning  Tower  of 
Pisa,  to  find  a  reason  for  the  science,  it  is  reasona- 
ble to  conclude  the  true  law  of  falling  bodies  had 
been  known  earlier,  and  Galileo  would  not  have 
had  the  opportunity  to  discover  and  lay  a  stone 
in  the  foundation  of  a  philosophy  on  which  Sir 
Isaac  Newton  built  his  system  of  the  world. 

Instead  of  assuming  and  then  laboring  to  convert 
the  assumptions  into  facts,  had  Ptolemy  detected 
the  dual  motion  of  the  apparent  diurnal  and  yearly 
sun,  which  he  saw  but  did  not  perceive,  the  vision 
of  so  stupendous  a  glory  of  God  in  nature  would 
have  compelled  Ptolemy  to  give  an  everlasting 
good-by  to  his  and  also  to  his  illustrious  predeces- 
sors' fanciful  notion  of  a  fixed  earth  and  really 


TREATISE   ON   MOTIONS. 


moving  sun.  Could  Ptolemy  have  traced  the  solar 
motions  to  their  causes,  his  system  of  the  world, 
which  was  but  the  echo  of  a  false  theory,  would  be 
in  the  deep  quiet  of  the  unknown. 

But  look  at  Ptolemy,  as  he  thinks  he  sees  the  sun 
in  real  motion  and  stands  on  the  firm  earth.  His 
eyesight  is  not  impaired,  his  sense  of  the  immo- 
bility of  the  earth  undoubted ;  but  an  appeal  to 
nature  changes  one  of  the  most  celebrated  philoso- 
phers of  antiquity  into  an  erring  blind  man,  who 
had  never  truly  seen  the  beauties,  and  without  an 
understanding  of  the  appearances  of  nature.  Ptol- 
emy is  an  illustrious  example  of  the  truth  of  my 
apothegm,  that  in  this  world  there  is  not  anything 
so  much  like  a  lie  as  the  truth ;  and  this  is  the  rea- 
son why,  not  only  Bible  truth,  but  also  the  truth  of 
the  science  of  astronomy  has  been  so  poorly  under- 
stood. 

The  fact  of  man's  success  in  discoveries  in  the 
science  and  causes  of  things  depends  on  how  much 
God's  inspiration  is  breathed  on  the  toiling  one  ; 
but  those  who,  like  Hugh  Miller,  lean  too  much  to 
their  own  understanding  will,  like  him,  stumble 
into  positive  failures. 

That  great  geologist,  having  neglected  all  idea 
of  deriving  help  from  any  other  source  than  what 
his  abstract  observations  resulted  in,  found  it  easy 
in  this  isolation  to  worm  himself  out  of  the  way 
marked  out  by  infinite  wisdom. 

The  man  who  could  find  in  a  fragment  of  stone, 
or  ledge  of  rocks,  or  fossil  remains,  evidence  for 
believing  in  their  creation  and  being  millions  of 
years  before  the  Adamic  epoch,  had  the  ability  to 
convert  multitudes  to  the  wonders  of  his  scheme  ; 
and  when  he  brought  forth  the  fossil  dung  that 


TREATISE   ON   MOTIONS. 


was  found  among  the  treasuries  of  nature,  having 
been  carefully  preserved  in  her  archives  for  mil- 
lions of  years,  it  proved  to  be  the  natural  archi- 
episcopal  rite  of  confirmation  to  all  his  followers. 
After  this,  there  remained  but  little  to  do  in  the 
way  of  demonstrating  whatever  might  be  required 
to  make  firm  and  establish  the  geological  scheme. 

But  one  thing  more  was  wanted  to  establish  this 
anti  and  ante  Mosaic  chronology  of  the  creation, 
and  that  was  a  deluge  in  a  respectable-sized  "ba- 
sin." Mr.  H.  Miller  clearly  understood  that  a  uni- 
versal deluge,  like  that  described  by  Moses,  seen 
and  experienced  by  Noah,  and  testified  of  by  a 
bosom  friend  of  the  Savior,  "  The  world  that  then 
was,  being  overflowed  with  water,  perished,"  must 
not  be  admitted,  or  else  Hugh  Miller's  geology, 
which  he  thought  had  grown  hoary  in  the  lapse 
of  millions  of  millions  of  years,  must  fail  for  want  of 
testimony.  This  one  thing  was  supplied,  and  the 
awe-inspiring  Bible  narrative  of  the  Deluge  was 
transmogrified  into  a  partial  deluge,  about  as  neces- 
sary for  the  purpose  as  a  deluge  in  a  wash-tub  ! 

Had  the  Deluge  been  in  a  "basin,"  there  had 
been  no  need  for  the  ark  and  the  congregating  of 
the  creatures.  They  and  Noah  and  his  family 
could  easily  have  journeyed  beyond  its  limits,  and 
it  would  have  sufficed  for  God  to  have  said  to 
Noah  and  his  family,  to  the  creatures  of  every 
kind,  as  was  said  to  Lot:  "Arise,  and  get  thee 
out  of  this  place,  for  I  will  destroy  it."  This  idea 
of  a  partial  deluge,  of  so  celebrated  a  geologist,  is 
the  most  sublime  approach  to  a  tempest  in  a  tea- 
pot of  anything  yet  brought  forth  by  the  grand 
masters  of  science,  and  still  there  remains  room  for 
the  wise  to  learn. 


FALSE   SCIENCE. 


False  Science— A  Concatenation  of  Mistakes. 

MISTAKE  OF  PTOLEMY. 

Ptolemy  assumed  the  earth  to  be  fixed,  and  the 
sun  to  really  move  around  it. 

Take  a  terrestrial  globe  to  represent  the  fixed 
earth  of  Ptolemaic  conception,  and  mark  upon  it 
circles  to  represent  the  circles  of  the  ecliptic  and 
equinoctial ;  procure  also  two  lamps,  to  represent 
the  apparent  motions  of  the  sun.  Pass  one  of  the 
lamps  round  the  globe,  following  the  circle  which 
represents  the  circle  of  the  ecliptic,  and  let  this 
motion  of  the  lamp  represent  the  motion  of  the 
apparent  sun  of  nature  describing  the  circle  of  the 
ecliptic.  Then  pass  the  second  lamp  round  the 
circle  of  the  globe  which  represents  the  circle  of 
the  equinoctial,  and  let  this  motion  of  the  lamp 
represent  the  apparent  diurnal  sun  of  nature,  as  he 
is  seen  nearly  describing  the  great  circle  of  the 
equinoctial  on  the  day  of  the  vernal  or  autumnal 
equinox. 

Hence  it  is  plainly  to  be  seen,  that  if  the  earth 
had  been  a  fixed  body  one  really  moving  sun 
could  not  have  produced  the  phenomena  of  the 
solar  motions  of  nature.  The  testimony  of  the 
solar  motions,  understood,  dissolves  every  shadow 
of  reason  in  support  of  a  fixed  earth ;  but  the  won- 
der remains :  How  could  the  wise  of  this  world, 
for  so  many  generations,  remain  in  darkness,  and 
permit  their  eyesight  and  common-sense  to  be  so 
long  perverted  by  the  blinders  of  the  Ptolemaic 
fixed  earth  ? 

MITCHEL'S  MISTAKE. 

In  the  system  of  Ptolemy  the  sun  was  said  to 
have  but  one  kind  of  motion  ;  but  in  the  verities 


28  FALSE   SCIENCE. 


of  nature  the  .sun  has  two  kinds  of  apparent  mo- 
tion. In  the  presence  of  such  a  tangible  distinc- 
tion and  palpable  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  strange 
things  that  have  happened  that  philosophers,  men 
of  glorious  eminence,  who  had  the  bright  beams  of 
the  sun  to  guide  them  to  the  fountain  of  truth, 
should  have  so  signally  failed  to  find  the  clear  way. 

It  was  no  fault  of  nature  that  occasioned  the 
hiding  of  the  truth,  no  obscurity  that  vailed  the 
subject,  for  God  had  written  the  lesson  in  sunlight 
on  the  heavens;  but  a  defect  in  the  education  of 
those  students  of  nature,  that  led  them  astray. 

So  the  men  who  see  in  our  Jesus  no  form  of 
winning  loveliness  should  drop  their  unbelief,  and 
see  the  light  of  his  glory.  It  shines !  No  excuse 
for  you  that  you  have  not  seen  it.  Look  to  the 
Sun  of  our  righteousness  through  the  tears  of  sins 
confessed !  Behold  the  solar  motions  of  his  love 
and  pity  for  you !  As  you  look  you  will  rejoice, 
and  say  :  I  behold  the  Lamb  in  his  glory,  as  un- 
converted eyes  never  yet  beheld  him. 

In  0.  M.  Mitchel's  Popular  Astronomy,  pp.  63 
and  64  :  "If,  then,  we  confine  our  attention  prin- 
cipally to  an  examination  of  the  solar  and  lunar 
motions,  in  our  efforts  to  determine  the  true  posi- 
tion and  condition  of  the  earth,  we  shall  find  our- 
selves compelled,  as  were  the  celebrated  Greek 
astronomers,  Hipparchus  and  Ptolemy,  to  admit 
not  only  the  earth's  central  position,  but  also  its 
absolute  immobility.  It  is,  undoubtedly,  cen- 
tral to  the  moon's  motions,  and  it  is  equally  cen- 
tral to  the  sun's  movements ;  that  is  to  say,  all  the 
phenomena  of  the  solar  motions  are  as  well  ac- 
counted for  by  supposing  the  earth  to  be  the  cen- 
tre about  which  the  sun  revolves,  as  by  supposing 


FALSE  SCIENCE. 


the  converse  hypothesis,  that  the  sun  is  the  centre 
about  which  the  earth  revolves.  So  far,  then,  as 
these  two  great  luminaries  are  concerned,  the 
hypothesis  of  the  earth's  central  position  is  well 
sustained  and  almost  indisputable."  The  celebrity 
of  Mitchel  should  have  made  him  proof  against  the 
attempt  to  pass  this  communication  off  for  truth, 
or  anything  like  that  found  in  his  remarks  which  I 
have  laid  before  the  reader.  What  is  there  in 
nature  that  sustains  indisputably,  in  any  degree, 
"the  earth's  central  position?"  To  the  barbarian, 
the  unlettered  son  of  civilization,  and  erring  as- 
tronomers, the  earth  may  seem  to  occupy  a  cen- 
tral position  ;  but  these  seemings  of  ignorance  of 
those  in  error  should  not  be  put  even  in  the  like- 
ness of  the  truth,  compared  with  which  there  is  no 
resemblance  ;  and  hence  Mitchel,  in  deciding  that 
the  two-fold  or  dual  appearing  diurnal  and  yearly 
solar  motions  are  the  same,  whether  seen  from  a 
fixed  Ptolemaic  earth  and  a  real  moving  sun,  or 
from  a  really  moving  earth  and  fixed  sun,  erred  so 
widely  as  to  justly  excite  astonishment. 

WHEWELL'S  MISTAKE. 

William  Whewell  (in  his  History  of  the  Inductive 
Sciences,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  257  and  258,)  says:  "For  is 
it  in  reality  clear,  that  before  the  time  of  Coperni- 
cus the  heliocentric  theory  (that  which  places  the 
centre  of  the  celestial  motions  in  the  sun)  had  a 
claim  to  assent  so  decidedly  superior  to  the  geo- 
centric theory,  which  places  the  earth  in  the  cen- 
tre ?  What  is  the  basis  of  the  heliocentric  theory? 
That  the  relative  motions  are  the  same  on  that 
and  on  the  other  supposition.  So  far,  therefore, 
the  two  hypotheses  are  exactly  on  the  same  foot- 
ing. But,  it  is  urged,  on  the  heliocentric  side  we 


FALSE   SCIENCE. 


have  the  advantage  of  simplicity.  True  ;  but  we 
have  on  the  other  side  the  testimony  of  our  senses  ; 
that  is,  the  geocentric  doctrine  (which  asserts  that 
the  earth  rests  and  the  heavenly  bodies  move)  is 
the  obvious  and  spontaneous  interpretation  of  the 
appearances." 

Review  the  language  and  logic  of  WhewelPs 
statement.  Masterly  and  beautiful  in  composition, 
but  false  in  principle.  He  decides  that  the  dual 
motions  of  the  apparent  sun  of  nature  are  identical 
with  the  one  motion  of  a  real  sun  moving  round  a 
fixed  earth. 

If  in  this  case  Mitchel  and  Whewell  have  given 
us  a  fair  specimen  of  the  accuracy  of  the  Coperni- 
can  system  of  astronomy,  its  reliableness  may  be 
justly  called  in  question,  and  its  stability  quivers 
already  in  approaching  impeachment. 

When  Whewell  affirms,  "we  have  the  testimony 
of  our  senses  that  the  real  sun  moves  round  an 
imaginary  fixed  earth,"  that  this  "  is  the  obvious 
and  spontaneous  interpretation  of  the  appear- 
ances," did  he  mean  our  senses  perverted  by  igno- 
rance and  false  science,  or  our  correctly  educated 
senses  ?  Which  ? 

It  is  so,  to  our  perverted  senses  the  sun  seems  to 
go  round  the  earth  ;  but  when  our  educated  senses 
are  put  in  communion  with  the  verities  of  nature, 
the  illusion  vanishes.  It  is  not  supposable  that 
Whewell  meant  that  to  our  perverted  senses  the 
sun  moves  around  a  fixed  earth  in  one  motion,  and 
that  this  is  the  obvious  and  spontaneous  interpret- 
ation of  the  solar  motions.  His  intelligence  for- 
bids this  assumption,  for  every  educated  person 
knows,  senses,  and  distinguishes  the  apparent  mo- 
tions of  the  sun.  What,  then,  was  meant?  We 


FALSE  SCIENCE. 


are  driven  to  the  conclusion  that  a  great  mistake 
has  been  made,  rendered  not  the  less  so  by  the 
great  names  engaged  in  it,  and  that  the  understood 
true  solar  motions  are  in  no  wise  identical  with  the 
phenomenon  of  the  real  motion  of  one  sun.  The 
principal  source  of  all  error  has  been  the  perver- 
sion of  the  senses  of  mankind  by  false  teaching, 
equally  damaging  in  science  and  religion.  A  false 
science  perverted  the  senses  of  Hipparchus  and 
Ptolemy.  Hence  they  wittingly  thought  they  saw 
what  was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  appearances  of 
nature.  The  same  want  of  a  true  perception,  and 
the  adoption  of  theory  for  truth,  has  kept  mankind 
so  long  in  the  darkness  of  scientific  error,  and  from 
the  taint  of  this  original  corruption  Win.  Whewell 
did  not  escape. 

BKADLEY'S  MISTAKE. 

Bradley's  discovery  of  the  annual  aberration  of 
the  light  of  the  stars  was  hailed  as  positive  evi- 
dence of  the  earth's  annual  motion ;  but  because 
the  stars  which  are  seen  in  the  plane  of  the  celes- 
tial equator  at  the  time  of  the  summer  solstice  are 
also  seen  in  the  plane  of  the  celestial  equator  at 
the  time  of  the  winter  solstice,  nature  afforded  no 
opportunity  for  Bradley's  pseudo  discovery. 

The  stars  appear  and  are  known  to  change  their 
place,  with  respect  to  an  earthly  observer,  in  every 
instant  of  time  during  the  earth's  diurnal  revolu- 
tion ;  and  therefore  nature  does  afford  an  opportu- 
nity to  make  the  discovery  of  the  diurnal  aberra- 
tion of  the  light  of  the  stars,  which  was  made  after 
Bradley's  death. 

Bradley,  no  doubt,  discovered  the  diurnal  aber- 
ration of  the  light  of  the  stars,  which  he  mistook 
for  their  annual  aberration  ;  and  since  his  day  the 


32 


FALSE  SCIENCE. 


mistake  has  been  lauded  as  a  fact  of  nature,  and 
afforded  to  astronomers  a  wonderful  field  in  which 
to  display  their  erudition  in  fanciful  astronomy,  in 
assuming  what  would  be  if  Bradley's  discovery  had 
been  verity,  and  not  a  myth  as  it  is. 


LAW   OP   NATURE. 


FOR  ASTRONOMERS. 

MY    DEMONSTEATION    OP    THE    EABTH'S    MOTIONS. 


Law  of  Nature. 

IN  the  fact  of  a  planet  simultaneously  turning 
on  an  axis  and  moving  round  a  central  sun,  the 
dual  motion  of  the  planet  will  be  transferred  to 
the  sun,  causing  the  sun  in  appearance  to  have  a 
dual  motion,  resulting  in  apparent  diurnal  and 
yearly  revolutions  of  the  central  sun  ;  and  from  the 
solar  motions  observed  from  any  one  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies  may  be  deduced  the  nature  of  the 
motions  of  the  heavenly  globe.  Now,  because  the 
phenomena  of  the  solar  motions  observed  from  the 
earth  are  diurnal  and  yearly,  from  these  apparent 
motions  I  deduce  the  facts  of  the  diurnal  and 
yearly  motions  of  the  earth,  without  any  respect 
to  the  changes  of  the  seasons,  or  Bradley 's  discov- 
ery of  the  annual  aberration  of  the  light  of  the 
stars.  In  so  doing  I  am  conscious  that  not  a 
known  astronomer  of  the  past  has  ever  attempted 
to  demonstrate  the  earth's  annual  motion  as  I  have 
done. 

The  Copernican-Newtonian  astronomers  give, 
in  proof  of  the  earth's  annual  motion,  the  changes 
of  the  seasons;  but  if,  as  Mitchel  and  Whewell 
say,  "whether  of  the  earth  around  the  sun  or  of  the 
sun  around  the  earth,"  the  appearances  of  nature 
are  the  same,  the  testimony  of  the  changes  of  the 
seasons  is  of  but  little  force  ;  but  if  you  regard  as 
forcible  and  true  the  deducing  of  the  earth's  axial 
and  orbital  motions  from  the  apparent  motions  of 
the  sun,  then  the  testimony  of  the  four  seasons  of 

3 


A   WONDER   OP    CREATION. 


the  year  greatly  add  to  the  testimony  of  the  solar 
motions,  and  these  proofs  or  testimonies  of  nature 
to  the  wise  are  convincing. 

What  is  to  be  Seen. 

At  the  time  of  the  vernal  equinox,  if  an  observer 
in  the  position  of  a  right  sphere  draws  a  line  pass- 
ing through  the  centres  of  the  earth  and  sun,  pro- 
duced to  the  stars,  and  with  this  line  draws  a  circle, 
the  circle  will  be  the  circle  of  the  ecliptic  among  the 
stars,  and  the  space  cut  by  the  line  will  be  the  plane 
of  the  ecliptic.  With  another  line  drawn  from  the 
centre  of  the  earth,  passing  through  the  line  of  the 
equator,  produced  to  the  stars,  describe  a  circle, 
which  will  be  the  circle  of  the  celestial  equator ; 
and  the  circles  of  the  ecliptic  and  equator  are  in- 
clined to  each  other  about  23°  28'. 

At  the  instant  of  the  beginning  of  the  astronom- 
ical year,  the  centre  of  the  apparent  sun  being  on 
the  point  of  intersection  of  the  planes  of  the 
ecliptic  and  equinoctial,  an  observer,  under  the 
effects  of  the  dual  motions  of  the  earth,  will  see  the 
centre  of  the  sun  in  appearance  move  in  the  plane 
of  the  ecliptic,  and  also  in  the  plane  of  the  equi- 
noctial. As  an  effect  of  the  diurnal  motion  of  the 
earth,  the  diurnal  sun  will  finish  a  solar  day  revo- 
lution ;  and  as  an  effect  of  the  yearly  motion  of 
the  earth  round  the  sun,  the  sun  will  appear  to 
complete  a  solar  year  revolution. 

A  Wonder  of  Creation. 

One  of  God's  great  works  in  the  creation  was 
his  making  a  real  sun  answer  the  purposes  of  a 
multitude  of  apparent  suns.  If  we  had  the  power 
to  multiply  our  personal  being  to  equal  the  num- 
ber of  the  bodies  of  the  solar  system,  and  could 


ORIGIN   OP   THE   SUN's   MOTION. 


take  a  position  on  every  one  of  them  in  the  same 
instant,  the  apparent  sun  would  be  seen  describing 
a  multitude  of  diurnal  revolutions  in  the  several 
times  of  the  diurnal  revolutions  of  all  the  celestial 
bodies  ;  and  observed  from  each  one  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies,  the  apparent  sun  would  be  seen  de- 
scribing a  multitude  of  yearly  revolutions  equal  in 
number  to  the  number  of  the  bodies  of  the  solar 
system,  in  the  several  times  of  their  solar  years. 
Were  all  the  heavenly  bodies  of  the  system  of  the 
sun  like  Ptolemy's  supposed  fixed  earth,  every 
one  of  them  would  require  two  suns  to  produce  the 
solar  motions  observed  from  their  surfaces.  What 
an  occasion  presents  itself  in  this  view  of  the  solar 
motions,  seen  from  every  body  of  the  solar  system, 
to  inspire  our  admiration  of  the  "  Sun"  of  our  sal- 
vation.  Behold  Him,  who  is  limitless  in  power, 
using  that  power  in  the  economy  of  providing  but 
one  sun  for  the  diurnal  and  yearly  illumination  of 
every  body  of  the  solar  system  ;  and  in  that  very 
economy  there  is  an  exuberance  of  fullness  suf- 
ficient for  the  illumination  of  a  thousand,  ten 
thousand,  or  millions  of  revolving  worlds. 

Origin  of  the  Sun's   Motion. 

The  matter  composing  the  body  of  the  sun  was 
originally  free  to  receive  any  one  right-line 
impulse  to  urge  the  sun  forward  in  the  direction  of 
a  right  line,  or  to  receive  one  right-line  sidewise 
impulse  to  simultaneously  turn  the  sun  on  an  axis 
and  urge  it  forward  in  the  direction  of  a  curve 
line.  The  reader  will  understand,  that  the  right- 
line  sidewise  impulse  impinging  on  a  globe  will 
always  generate  rotary  and  curvilinear  motions. 

If  required  to  move  the  sun  in  the  direction  of  a 
right  line,  the  force  must  impinge  on  the  body  of 


36  THE  EARTH. 


the  sun  in  the  direction  of  a  line  passing  directly 
through  the  centre  of  the  sun. 

From  such  a  motive  force,  generating  but  one 
resulting  motion,  the  sun  would  be  compelled  to 
move  forward  in  a  sliding  motion  in  the  direction 
of  a  right  line.  But  if  required  to  generate  the 
attraction  of  the  gravity  of  the  sun,  which  is  the 
tendency  of  his  matter  to  his  axial  centre,  also 
rotary  and  curvilinear  motions,  also  the  inclination 
of  the  axis  and  his  oblate  form,  a  single  right- 
line  impulse,  directed  sidewise  and  parallel  to  a 
line  passing  through  the  centre  of  the  sun,  was 
sufficient  to  produce  this  wonderful  variety  of 
results.  And  from  such  a  motive  force  was  gener- 
ated the  spheroidal  gravity  of  the  sun,  his  axial 
and  orbital  motions,  the  inclination  of  his  axis, 
and  his  oblate  form.  This  miracle  of  motions, 
belonging  by  right  as  it  does  to  the  truths  of  nature 
and  her  law  of  forces,  justly  appeals  to  mankind 
for  the  recognition  of  its  divine  right ;  and  though 
it  has  so  long  been  hidden  from  the  gaze  and  un- 
derstanding of  the  sons  of  earthly  birth,  its  lustre 
shines  none  the  less  brilliant. 

The  Earth. 

The  matter  composing  the  earth  was  passed 
from  rest  to  motion  by  a  single  sidewise  impulse  ; 
from  which  arose  the  gravity  of  the  earth,  also  its 
dual  axial  and  orbital  motions,  also  the  inclination 
of  its  axis  and  its  oblate  form. 

Suppose  a  line  to  pass  through  the  centre  of  the 
sun,  and  extend  in  space,  afterward  to  be  known 
as  the  transverse  diameter  or  long  axis  of  the 
orbit  of  the  earth  and  the  centre  of  the  matter  of 
the  earth,  and  one  end  of  the  line  to  coincide  with 


THE   EAETH. 


a  point  afterward  to  be  known  as  the  perihelion 
point  of  the  earth's  orbit. 

Let  us,  thus  prepared,  assume  that  a  single  side- 
wise  impulse  impinges  on  the  matter  of  the  earth 
(the  matter  of  the  earth  being  between  the  motive 
force  and  the  sun)  in  the  direction  of  a  right  line, 
aside  from  and  parallel  to  the  line  joining  the 
centres  of  the  matter  of  the  earth  and  sun,  and 
parallel  to  and  above  a  plane  subsequently  to  be 
known  as  the  plane  of  the  earth's  orbit,  by  an 
amount  of  angular  measurement  of  23°  28',  and 
learn  what  follows. 

1.  The  one-motive   sidewise  force   started   the 
matter  of  the  earth  from  an  absolute  state  of  rest 
to  a  condition  of  relative  motion  round  an  axis, 
which  became  the  axis  of  the  earth.     In  this  tran- 
sition,  the  absolute  weight  of  the  matter  of  the 
earth  passed  to  its  now  relative  weight,  and  in  this 
relative  weight  it  tends  to  the  axial  centre  of  the 
earth,  and  this  tendency  is  the  gravity  of  the  matter 
of  the  earth,  which  was  unknown  and  without  ex- 
istence until  the  motive  force  caused  the  matter  of 
the  earth  to  rotate  on  its  axis  ;  and  from  the  motive 
force  causing  the  axial  rotation  originated  the  grav- 
ity of  the  matter  of  the  earth ;  which,  in  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  case,  must  be  spheroidal  gravitation. 

2.  Also,  from  the  one-motive  sidewise  force  was 
generated  the  axial  rotation  of  the  earth,  and  the 
inclination  of  the  axis  is  perpetually  invariable  in 
each  and  every  revolution. 

3.  Also,  the  one-motive  sidewise  force  deflected 
the  earth  from  a  right-line  motion,  causing  it  to 
move  forward  in  the  direction  of  a  curve  line  ; 
which  curvilinear  motion  being  continued,  result- 
ed in  the  orbital  motion  of  the  earth. 


JUPITER. 


4.  Also,  because  the  one-motive  force  impinged 
on  the  earth,  at  the  point  before  mentioned,  the 
result  was  the  inclination  of  the  axis  of  the  earth, 
the  amount  being  23°  28'. 

5.  Also,  from  the  one-motive  sidewise  force  the 
matter  of  the  earth,  conforming  to  the  centrifugal 
force  of  the  earth,  which  was  caused  by  the  rotary 
motion,  did  take  upon  itself  the  oblate  form  of  a 
sphere. 

6.  The  reasonableness  and  possibility  of  the  five- 
fold results  mentioned  in  the  previous  five  observ- 
ations emboldens  me  to  declare,  that  the  Creator 
did,  by  the  agency  of  a  motive  sidewise  impulse, 
generate  the  phenomena  of  motions  and  resulting 
forces  which  belong  to  any  one  of  the  heavenly 
bodies. 

Jupiter. 

Again  :  suppose  a  line  to  pass  through  the  centre 
of  the  sun,  subsequently  to  be  known  as  the  long 
axis  of  the  elliptical  orbit  of  the  planet  Jupiter  and 
the  centre  of  the  matter  of  the  planet,  and  one 
end  of  that  line  to  coincide  with  a  point  afterward 
to  be  known  as  the  perihelion  point  of  Jupiter's 
orbit. 

Let  us  now  assume  that,  in' the  opening  of  the 
epoch  of  resulting  motions,  a  right-line  motive 
force  impinged  on  the  mass  of  the  matter  of  the 
planet  Jupiter  in  a  line  parallel  to  the  line  joining 
the  centres  of  Jupiter  and  the  sun,  and  aside  from 
it,  at  a  distance  of  about  45°,  but  in  the  plane  to 
become  the  plane  of  Jupiter's  ecliptic  and  equinoc- 
tial, and  then  from  the  force  there  should  arise  all 
the  phenomena  of  resulting  motions  and  forces 
which  belong  to  Jupiter. 

1.  The    one-motive    sidewise   force   forced   the 


JUPITEK.  39 


mass  of  the  matter  of  Jupiter  from  its  absolute 
state  of  rest  to  a  condition  of  relative  motion 
round  the  axis  of  Jupiter,  and  in  the  transition  the 
absolute  weight  of  the  matter  was  changed  to  its 
relative  weight,  and  in  this  relative  weight  it  tends 
to  the  axial  centre  of  Jupiter,  and  this  tendency 
is  the  attraction  of  the  matter  of  Jupiter,  which 
arcse  in  the  matter  being  precipitated  on  the  axis 
of  Jupiter  by  the  motive  sidewise  force.  Hence 
the  origin  of  the  attraction  of  gravitation  of  the 
matter  of  Jupiter. 

2.  Also,  the  one-motive  sidewise  force  generated 
the  rotary  motion  of  the  matter  of  Jupiter,  and 
this  continued  rotary  motion  resulted  in  Jupiter's 
axial  revolutions. 

3.  Also,  the  one-motive  sidewise  force  generated 
the  forward  curvilinear  motion  of v Jupiter,  which 
in  continuance  returned  into  itself,  resulting  in  the 
orbital  revolutions  of  Jupiter. 

4.  Also,  the  one-motive  force  generated  the  po- 
sition of  the  axis  of  Jupiter,  which  is  perpendic- 
ular to  the  plane  of  his  orbit  5  the  parallelism  of 
the  axis  will  be  invariably  preserved  throughout 
all  his  yearly  revolutions. 

5.  Also,    the    one-motive   force  generating   the 
axial  rotation  of  Jupiter,  his  matter,  conforming 
to  the  centrifugal  force,  assumed  the  form  of  an 
oblate  sphere. 

6.  Because  the  one-motive   force  impinged  on 
the  eastern  hemisphere  of  the  mass  of  the  matter 
of  the  planet  Jupiter,  the  planet  Jupiter  moves 
eastward  in  his  journey  round  the  sun,   and  the 
question,  why  Jupiter  moves  eastward  round  the 
sun,  and  not  westward,  is  answered. 

How  I  wish  you  would  for  a  moment  say  I  am 


c 


JUPITER. 


right !  What  a  magnificent  display  of  the  wonders 
of  nature  would  then  start  into  being  before  you ! 
You  would  feel  that,' at  last,  the  secret  of  how  God 
originated  the  phenomena  and  resulting  forces  of 
nature  is  discovered.  These  wonders  of  nature 
would  loom  up  before  you  as  they  never  loomed 
before. 

Not  a  Copernican-N-ewtonian  astronomer  ever 
claimed  to  know  why  the  planets  move  eastward 
round  the  sun  ;  why  the  moons  of  the  planets 
move  eastward  round  their  primaries,  except  in 
one  supposed  instance  ;  why  the  comets  are  con- 
fined to  no  particular  direction,  but  move  any  way, 
eastward  or  westward,  or  in  any  other  direction 
perpendicular  and  oblique  to  the  planes  of  the 
planetary  orbits.  The  why  is  now  answered.  It 
depends  on  which  hemisphere  of  the  heavenly 
body  the  force  impinges.  If  on  the  eastern  hemi- 
spheres of  the  planets,  it  determines  that  the  yearly 
courses  of  the  planets  shall  be  in  a  course  which 
the  astronomers  have  named  eastward.  If  on  the 
eastern  hemisphere  of  the  moons,  it  is  determined 
that  they  shall  move  eastward  round  their  prima- 
ries: If  on  the  western  hemisphere  of  a  comet,  it 
is  determined  that  the  comet  shall  move  westward 
round  the  sun.  Now  because  the  axis  of  Jupiter 
is  perpendicular  to  the  plane  of  his  orbit  he  may 
be  selected  for  illustration,  to  indicate  the  point  of 
force  from  which  arises  the  direction  of  the  heaven- 
ly orb.  Now,  with  Jupiter  supposed  to  be  before 
you,  if  the  one  motive  force  impinge  on  the  eastern 
hemisphere  of  Jupiter,  a  plane  of  his  axis  dividing 
the  eastern  hemisphere  from  the  western,  the 
course  of  Jupiter  will  be  eastward  round  the  sun  ; 
but  if  on  the  western  hemisphere,  Jupiter  would 


THE   DIFFERENCE.  41 


be  compelled  to  go  forward  westward  round  the 
sun.  Or  if  the  force  impinged  on  the  upper  hemi- 
sphere of  Jupiter,  which  is  above  the  plane  of  his 
orbit,  Jupiter  would  be  compelled  to  describe  an 
orbit  the  plane  of  which  would  be  perpendicular 
to  the  present  plane  of  Jupiter's  orbital  motion. 
The  direction  of  a  heavenly  body,  so  far  as  east- 
ward or  westward  is  concerned,  or  any  other  di- 
rection of  a  heavenly  body,  depends  on  the  point 
at  which  the  sidewise  force  impinges. 

The  Moon. 

The  moon,  in  motion  round  the  earth  and  with 
the  earth  round  the  sun,  describes  epicycles.  This 
kind  of  orbital  motion  Newton  concluded  was 
due  to  the  mutual  attraction  of  the  earth  and 
moon,  and  the  attraction  of  the  sun  and  moon  on 
each  other,  conjoined  with  the  moon's  projectile 
forces.  Now  add  the  oblique  impulse,  from  which 
Newton  concluded  arose  the  moon's  axial  motion, 
and  you  have  a  quintuple  parallelogram  of  forces, 
which  were  supposed  to  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
nature's  resources  to  move  the  moon  round  the 
earth,  and  round  the  sun,  and  on  her  axis. 

The  Difference. 

One  right-line  motive  sidewise  impulse  sufficed 
to  generate  all  the  known  resulting  motions  and 
forces  of  the  moon.  Of  what  use,  then,  for  nature  to 
employ  five  distinct  forces?  Suppose  the  matter 
of  the  moon  to  have  been  gathered  at  a  point 
which  might  become  a  distance  of  the  moon  from 
the  earth  and  a  line  joining  the  centres  of  the  two 
bodies. 

If  a  motive  force  impinges  on  the  moon  in  a  line 
parallel  to  the  line  joining  the  centres  of  the  moon 


SATURN,    HIS   RINGS   AND   MOONS. 


and  the  earth,  and  aside  from  it  at  a  distance  of 
between  45°  and  90P,  the  moon  would  immediate- 
ly acquire  a  rotary  motion  and  move  forward  in  a 
curve  line,  which,  continued,  will  result  in  the 
epic}rcles  which  the  moon  describes  in  her  journey 
round  the  earth  and  sun ;  and  because  all  the 
motions  and  forces  of  the  moon  may  be  produced 
in  a  body  moving  in  free  space  by  the  agency  of 
a  right-line  motive  sidewise  force,  it  is  reasonable 
to  conclude  that  nature  preferred  this  one  force, 
rather  than  the  received  five  forces,  to  cause  the 
phenomena  of  the  moon's  motions.  The  like  kind 
of  sidewise  forces,  used  as  the  Architect  of  the  uni- 
verse employed  them,  suffice  to  account  for  the 
motions,  even  every  kind  of  resulting  motions  and 
forces,  which  belong  to  the  moons  of  Jupiter, 
Saturn,  Uranus,  and  Neptune. 

Saturn,  His  Rings  and  Moons. 

The  matter  of  the  several  parts  of  the  system 
of  Saturn,  his  rings  and  moons  were  arranged, 
weighed,  and  their  distances  from  the  sun  determ- 
ined, and  the  interrelations  of  every  part  of  this 
system  established  to  be  subjected  to  the  dominion 
of  the  majestic  motive  force.  In  the  same  instant, 
Saturn  and  his  rings  and  moons  were  projected,  by 
the  agency  of  sidewise  forces,  from  rest  to  motion,  in 
the  companionship  of  a  ceaseless  solar  journey ;  and 
the  resulting  motions  and  forces  will  be  maintained 
perpetually  in  the  system  of  Saturn,  and  the  rings 
of  Saturn  will  rotate  and  go  forward  in  curvilinear 
motions  the  same  as  if  they  were  a  part  of  the 
body  of  the  planet  Saturn  and  united  to  him. 

ILLUSTEATION. 


You  may  whirl  a  globe  in  the  same  manner  that 


9 


COMETS. 


you  whirl  a  top.  There  are  two  kinds  of  tops — 
toys,  which  boys  play  with.  One  kind  may  be  set  in 
motion  by  applying  the  force  through  the  agency 
of  a  string,  the  other  may  be  set  in  motion  by 
the  agency  of  a  whip  ;  and  if  the  force  is  sufficiently 
strong  and  correctly  applied,  the  tops  and  the 
globe  will  each  acquire  rotary  and  curvilinear 
motions,  and  may  be  seen  describing  epicycles, 
like  the  moon  does,  and  sometimes  the  motion 
will  be  in  the  path  of  a  spiral.  Were  these 
motions  produced  in  free  space  they  would  pro- 
gress continually. 

Comets. 

The  comets,  like  other  bodies  of  the  solar  sys- 
tem, were  set  in  motion  by  the  agency  of  motive 
sidewise  forces,  which  generated  their  curvilinear 
motions,  resulting  in  the  great  varieties  of  their 
elliptical  orbits.  The  most  sidewise  force  that  can 
impinge  on  a  globe  will  cause  it  to  move  in  a 
curve  line,  which,  continued,  will  result  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  spiral.  The  least  sidewise  force  imping- 
ing on  a  globe  will  cause  it  to  move  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  curve  line,  which  is  the  least  removed 
from  a  right  line.  Between  these  extremes,  a  side- 
wise  force  impinging  on  a  globe  is  competent  to 
generate  a  curvilinear  motion  of  a  globe,  resulting 
in  any  kind  of  orbital  motion  ;  and  therefore,  as 
far  as  the  requirements  of  nature  are  concerned, 
the  sidewise  force  is  capable  of  doing  more  than 
nature  demands  to  cause  the  curvilinear  motions 
of  the  celestial  spheres.  And  this  exuberance  of 
motive  force  is  another  instance  of  the  opulence  of 
the  resources  of  nature. 

This  majestic  sidewise  motive  force  binds  the 
heavenly  bodies  to  pursue  their  orbital  paths,  and 


MOTIONS   OF   GLOBES. 


leaves  no  room  to  fear  that  bodies,  on  account  of 
the  possible  derangement  of  the  Newtonian  forces, 
may  be  thrown  out  of  their  present  order  in  cre- 
ation, and  a  collapse  of  the  universe  ensue.  In 
the  universe  of  worlds  started  into  motion,  the 
side  wise  force  determined  the  rates  of  motion, 
and  the  curvature  of  the  paths  resulting  in  orbits 
which  should  be  pursued  by  the  moving  bodies  ; 
and  the  whole  order  and  arrangement  of  the 
motions  of  the  bodies  among  themselves  can  never 
permit  the  colliding  of  the  moving  worlds.  The 
effect  of  the  sidewise  force  gives  an  independence 
of  motion  to  every  body  in  the  creation.  If  the 
sun  could  be  removed  beyond  Sirius,  his  absence 
of  light  would  be  felt ;  still  every  planet  would 
pursue  the  same  path  as  now.  And  if  Saturn  and 
his  rings  and  moons  should  survive  the  wreck  of 
all  other  worlds,  Saturn  and  his  rings  and  moons 
would  still  pursue  the  same  paths  into  which  they 
were  originally  driven  by  sidewise  forces.  God 
put  the  imprint  of  his  own  stability  on  every  mov- 
ing orb,  and  the  material  creation  must  keep  on  in 
the  perfection  of  motions  generated  by  the  majes- 
tic motive  force  until  the  Creator  shall  command  a 
halt  in  the  final  desolation  of  all  perishable  things. 

Motions  of  Globes. 

As  I  was  ruminating,  and  earnestly  desiring  to 
understand  the  cause  of  the  being  of  things,  I  felt 
inclined  to  the  study  of  the  received  laws  of 
motions.  Not  a  thought  of  their  defectibility  had 
then  entered  my  mind.  Of  what  use  to  doubt 
when  those  glorious  mental  kings,  Benedetti, 
Galileo,  and  Newton,  had  put  their  royal  signa- 
tures to  the  laws.  Their  laws  of  motions  appeared 
to  be  as  firm  as  the  throne  of  Allah,  the  wonderful 


MOTIONS   OF   GLOBES.  45 


I  AM,  and  the  results  of  his  volitions ;  and  the  com- 
placent satisfaction  which  ages  of  learned  men 
have  exhibited  in  respect  to  the  truth  of  these 
laws,  seemed  to  be  a  guarantee  of  their  immuta- 
bility. But  my  assurance  of  the  fidelity  of  these 
laws  of  motion  was  doomed  to  be  tumbled  into 
confusion. 

On  a  certain  day  I  impressed  a  globe  with  a 
single  right-line  sidewise  force.  Judge  of  my 
surprise,  when  at  the  instant  of  the  impact  of  the 
force  the  globe  moved  forward,  describing  a  curve 
line  ;  and  but  for  the  resistance  of  the  air  and  the 
spheroidal  gravity  of  the  earth  it  would  have  con- 
tinued in  motion  and  finished  a  whole  circle  of  rev- 
olution, as  the  result  of  a  single  force !  Did  my 
eyes  deceive  me?  Was  the  globe  in  an  antic  of 
rebellion  against  natural  law  ?  What !  a  curve- 
line  motion  of  a  body  the  effect  of  a  single  force  ? 
Such  a  thing  must  be  impossible,  being  contrary 
to  the  first  law  of  motion.  Newton  taught  that  it 
could  not  be  ;  and  the  united  testimony  of  the 
learned  and  intelligent  of  mankind  must  not  be 
doomed  to  reversion,  nor  the  first  law  of  motion 
lose  the  dignity  of  its  rank  by  a  single  blow  or 
force.  What  then  ?  Are  we  to  conclude  that  the 
globe  did  move  in  violation  of  the  first  law  of 
motion?  Admit  this,  and  then  tell  why.  Can 
matter  move  in  opposition  to  natural  law?  Never! 
No  matter  for  all  the  reasons  that  can  be  urged 
against  it,  the  globe  did  move  in  the  direction  of  a 
curve  line,  and  the  celebrated  first  law  of  motion 
was  powerless  to  prevent  it  ;  and  the  opinions  of 
mankind  should  be  corrected  by  it.  All  hail  this 
born  child  of  curvilinear  motion !  A  single  impulse 
was  thine  accoucheur ;  and  in  the  beginning  thy 


LAW   OF   NATURAL   MOTIONS. 


kingly  power  impressed  all  the  glowing  orbs  of  the 
heavens  with  the  graces  of  their  motions,  and  to 
thine  imperial  rule  all  matter  was  subjected.  Thy 
potent  force  will  yet  command  the  scientific  world 
anew  to  mental  toil,  its  sons  and  daughters  to 
behold  the  new  and  beautiful  in  celestial  motions, 
and  the  rapture  of  pleasure  will  be  such  as  the 
natural  revelations  of  nature  can  only  inspire. 

The  Issue. 

Astronomers,  mathematicians,  and  all  adherents 
to  the  received  first  law  of  motion,  teach  and 
believe  that  if  a  single  force  impinge  on  a  globe  in 
the  direction  of  a  right  line,  if  not  otherwise  inter- 
fered with  the  globe  will  move  forward  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  right  line  with  the  line  of  the  force, 
and  the  globe  can  not  move  in  any  other  than  a 
right-line  motion. 

Contrary  to  this,  a  right-line  force  will  generate 
a  curvilinear  motion  of  a  globe.  This  reduces  the 
received  first  law  of  motion  from  the  rank  of  an 
assumed  fact  to  the  poverty  of  a  failure  in  science, 
leaving  the  way  clear  for  a  better  understanding  of 
the  doctrine  of  natural  motions. 

Law  of  Natural  Motions. 

The  matter  of  a  globe  at  rest  in  free  space, 
would  be  ready  to  receive  and  become  obedient  to 
any  kind  of  impulse,  to  set  out  in  any  and  every 
possible  direction  of  right  and  curve  line  motions, 
and  the  particular  direction  of  the  motion  of  the 
globe  could  be  determined  by  the  manner  of 
applying  the  force,  and  the  selection  of  the  point 
of  impact  on  the  surface  of  the  globe. 

1.  If  the  force  is  central,  impinging  on  the  globe 
in  the  direction  of  a  line  passing  through  its  centre, 


ROTARY   AND    CURVILINEAR   MOTIONS. 


the  globe  must  move  forward  in  the  direction  of  a 
right  line  with  the  line  of  the  motive  force,  and 
encountering  no  resistance  in  free  and  boundless 
space,  the  globe  would  progress  in  right-line 
motion  continually.  From  the  effect  of  the  central 
force  the  globe  will  move  forward  in  a  sliding 
motion,  but  without  a  rotary  motion  ;  because  this 
force  is  powerless  to  generate  any  but  a  resulting 
single  sliding  motion. 

2.  This  hypothetical  example  of  right-line  mo- 
tion was  possible,  but  was  not  employed  in  the 
works  of  nature,  because  she  required,  in  the  exe- 
cution of  her  wonderful  plan,  that   all   resulting 
motions  should  be  naturally  rotary  and  curvilinear, 
and  therefore  the  right-line  sidewise  force  was  elect- 
ed to  the  rank  of  ability  to  do  all  that  the  God  of 
nature   required  to  be  done  in  the  generation  of 
the  phenomena  of  all  resulting  motions  and  forces 
which    belong   to   all   the  celestial  bodies   in  the 
universe. 

3.  The  nearest  approach  to  the  motion  of  a  body 
in  a  right  line  is  when  it  is  let  fall  from  a  hight 
to  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  but  then,  on  account  of 
the  very  swift  motions  of  the  earth,  of  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  an  hour  on  its  axis,  and  about  nine- 
teen miles  in  every  second  of  time  in  its   orbit, 
combined  with  spheroidal  gravitation,  the  path  de- 
scribed by  the  body  must  be  slightly  curved. 

Rotary  and  Curvilinear  Motions. 

Originally  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
were  rotary  and  curvilinear,  having  been  generated 
by  right-line  motive  sidewise  forces,  which  caused, 
not  only  the  diurnal  and  yearly  revolutions  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  but  also  the  inclinations  of  their 


TOPS. 


axes,  their  spheroidal  gravitation,  and  the  oblate 
forms  of  all  the  celestial  bodies. 

Let  it  be  noticed  that  one  of  the  results  of  the 
motive  sidewise  force  was  the  generation  of  the 
attractions  of  the  matter  of  the  spheres,  and  be- 
cause the  curve-line  motion  of  a  globe  does  not 
depend  on  some  centrally  lodged  power  of  gravita- 
tion, nature  is  without  occasion  to  need  the  inter- 
vention of  a  cause  or  force  like  that  assigned  to  the 
theory  of  universal  gravitation. 

And  because  the  attraction  of  gravitation  of 
matter  is  spheroidal,  if  the  earth  could  be  placed 
at  the  distance  of  a  thousand  miles  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  sun,  there  being  no  mutual  attractions 
between  the  two  bodies,  they  would  perform  their 
respective  functions  without  the  least  possibility  of 
being  influenced  by  each  other. 

Tops. 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  says:  "  A  top,  whose  parts, 
by  their  cohesion,  are  perpetually  drawn  aside 
from  rectilinear  motiqns,  does  not  cease  its  rotation 
otherwise  than  it  is  retarded  by  the  air." 

Hence  the  matter  of  two  or  one  hundred  tops 
rotating  among  themselves  on  the  earth  would  not 
be  retarded  by  gravity,  but  only  by  the  air.  Re- 
move the  tops  to  the  free  space,  where  they  would 
encounter  no  resistance  from  the  air,  and  they 
would  rotate  continually  among  themselves,  having 
no  mutual  attractions  of  their  matter. 

Suppose  the  heavenly  bodies  to  be  a  system  of 
tops  (they  rotate  on  their  axes  like  tops),  all  whirl- 
ing on  their  axes,  and  if  tops  whirling  on  the  earth 
escape  the  effects  of  the  gravity  of  the  earth,  the 
rotating  of  the  heavenly  bodies  must  exempt  them 
also  from  any  kind  of  mutual  attraction.  Accord- 


THE   RECEIVED   FIRST  LAW   OF   MOTION. 

ing  to  Newton,  a  top,  which  is  an  inverted  conoid 
when  whirling,  is  free  from  all  effects  of  gravita- 
tion ;  and  Newton  also  taught  that  the  rotary  mo- 
tions of  the  heavenly  bodies  are  entirely  free  from 
any  of  the  effects  of  centripetal  force  ;  and  these 
things  being  admitted,  when  you  learn  what  is  left 
of  the  theory  of  gravitation,  as  it  is  taught  in  the 
schools,  please  inform  me.  The  gravitarians  never 
allowed  the  force  of  gravitation  to  exceed  the 
weight  of  the  heavenly  body  ;  but  the  force  to 
cause  the  rotary  motion  of  a  sphere  is  greater  than 
the  weight  of  the  matter  of  the  sphere. 

Therefore,  if  the  earth  was  a  homogeneous  and 
perfect  sphere,  or  an  oblate  sphere,  or  a  prolate 
spheroid,  or  a  conoid,  it  would  be  altogether  free 
from  the  interference  of  the  assumed  force  of  the 
gravity  of  the  sun,  or  of  any  other  body  of  the 
system,  in  any  and  every  part  of  the  orbital 
journey. 

Natural  Law. 

The  laws  of  nature  are  absolute,  and  are  so  far 
removed  from  contingency  that  the  possibility  of 
change  in  their  order  or  effects  is  never  to  be 
entertained. 

On  this  account,  and  because  the  philosophers' 
first  and  second  laws  of  motion  involve  the  idea  of 
contingency,  and  the  motions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  were  in  no  degree  originated  by  them  ;  said 
laws  were  found  to  be  misnomers  and  mere  hy- 
potheses. Misnomers  being  names  having  origin 
in  misconception,  and  hypotheses  being  purely 
human  inventions. 

The  Received  First  Law  of  Motion. 

"Everybody  perseveres  in  a  state  of  rest,  or  of 
uniform  motion  in  a  right  line,  unless  it  is  com- 


JAMES   FERGUSON. 


pelled  to  change   that  state  by  forces  impressed 
thereon," — Sir  Isaac  Newton. 

James  Ferguson. 

James  Ferguson,  in  his  Astronomy,  explained 
upon  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  principles,  says  :  "All 
motion  is  naturally  rectilineal." 

In  Parker's  Philosophy,  p.  55,  he  asks  :  "  In  what 
direction  is  the  motion  of  a  body  impelled  by  a 
single  force?"  Answer:  "Simple  motion  is  the 
motion  of  a  body  impelled  by  a  single  force,  and  is 
always  in  a  straight  line  in  the  same  direction  with 
the  force  that  acts." 

At  first  I  thought  of  what  use  for  me  to  say  any- 
thing contrary  to  what  had  been  taught  by  geo- 
metricians, mathematicians,  and  astronomers  of  the 
Newtonian  system  of  philosophy.  With  such  a 
host  of  grand  masters  to  oppose  me,  I  felt  the 
loneliness  of  my  estate  and  dreaded  the  encounter; 
but  being  urged  by  an  inward  impulse  which  over- 
came all  hesitancy,  I  advanced  tremblingly  to  the 
contest,  in  hope  that  truth  would  conquer. 

In  respect  to  the  names  which  I  have  introduced 
to  the  reader  on  the  side  of  right-line  motion,  it 
had  been  good  for  the  men  if  they  had  ever  seen  a 
body  moving  in  a  right  line.  One  such  fact,  oh, 
'how  it  would  help  their  laws  of  motions!  And  par- 
ticularly if  it  had  ever  happened  in  nature  that  a 
heavenly  body  was  known  to  have  moved  in  the 
direction  of  a  right-line  perpendicular  to  the  line 
of  the  sun's  attraction  on  the  body !  "What  man  or 
congress  of  men,  however  much  they  might  wish 
to  do  so,  could  ever  establish  a  theory  of  rectilinear 
motions,  with  all  nature,  in  all  of  her  departments, 
opposed  to  them  ?  In  the  annals  of  time  nature, 
in  her  boundless  congress  of  things,  has  given  in- 


THE   RECEIVED   SECOND   LAW   OP   MOTION.  51 

numerable  examples  of  bodies  moving  in  curve 
lines,  but  not  one  example  of  resulting  rectilinear 
motion.  In  the  circumambient  expanse  there  are 
bodies  without  number ;  but  among  the  wonderful 
multitude  of  orbs  which  beautify  the  limitless  wil- 
derness of  immensity,  or  atoms  flitting  in  the  sun's 
beams,  where  was  one  of  them  ever  seen  or  known 
to  have  moved  in  a  right  line  ? 

A  right-line  resultant  motion  of  a  body  is  for- 
ever excluded  from  the  family  of  worlds,  which 
move  within  the  limits  of  the  outskirts  of  the  mate- 
rial creation,  on  the  frontier  line  of  which  many  a 
human  thought  has  often  longed  to  rest,  and  cast  a 
look  of  hope  toward  the  home  of  the  holy. 

The  Received  Second  Law  of  Motion. 

"The  alteration  of  motion  is  ever  proportional 
to  the  motive  force  impressed,  and  is  made  in  the 
direction  of  the  right  line  in  which  that  force  is 
impressed/7 — Sir  Isaac  Newton. 

"A  body  by  two  forces  conjoined  will  describe 
the  diagonal  of  a  parallelogram  in  the  same  time 
that  it  would  describe  the  sides  of  those  forces 
apart." — Sir  Isaac  Newton. 

This  second  law  of  motion  is  one  of  those  things 
which  have  obtained  currency  among  men  of  sci- 
ence on  account  of  its  assumed  truth.  This  law 
having  been  raised  to  the  dignity  of  immutability 
and  numbered  with  the  laws  of  nature,  it  appears 
unwarrantable  for  any  one  to  question  its  rank  or 
attempt  to  ignore  its  truth. 

It  will  be  readily  perceived  by  the  reader  that 
the  second  law,  like  the  first,  speaks  of  right-line 
motion ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  of  a  composition  of 
right-line  forces,  generating  a  resultant  right-line 
motion  in  the  diagonal  of  a  parallelogram,  which 


52  GRAVITY   OF   THE   SUN. 

composition   is   called    a   parallelogram   of  right- 
line  forces. 

But  the  second  law  of  motion  can  not  be  true ; 
for  we  have  seen  that  in  the  realm  of  nature 
there  is  no  resultant  rectilinear  motion,  and  what 
the  forces  of  nature  do  not  produce  may  be  looked 
for  in  vain  among  the  works  of  art.  Therefore, 
because  in  the  regions  where  spheroidal  gravity 
obtains  a  resultant  motion  is  of  necessity  in  a 
curve  line,  the  body  can  not  describe,  by  the  effect 
of  the  single  impulse  either  side,  or  by  the  two 
conjoined,  the  diagonal  of  a  parallelogram.  But 
you  may  say,  except  the  force  of  gravity,  and  then, 
from  the  composition  of  the  forces,  the  body  will 
describe  the  diagonal  of  a  parallelogram.  Is  this 
the  way  the  very  true  system,  in  the  person  of  a 
follower  of  Newton,  begs  the  question?  If  you 
except  gravity,  you  have  nothing  left  that  looks 
like  science.  It  can  not  be  excepted,  for  it  is 
the  chief  corner-stone  of  the  received  system  of 
astronomy  ;  and  if  excepted,  it  shows  the  poverty 
of  the  forces  and  how  they  hobble,  resting  on 
exceptions.  Such  an  appeal  is  unworthy  of  a 
cause  which  is  supposed  to  be  only  and  altogether 
true. 

Gravity  of  the  Sun. 

The  first  law  of  motion  teaches,  that  a  force 
impinging  on  a  body  will  urge  it  forward  in  the 
direction  of  a  right  line.  The  second  law  of 
motion  teaches,  that  if  a  force  impinge  on  a  mov- 
ing body  it  will  alter  its  motion,  and  the  alteration 
of  its  motion  will  be  in  the  direction  of  the  right 
line  in  which  the  force  is  impressed.  All  right- 
line  forces,  single  or  compound,  will  generate  only 
right-line  forces  or  motions  of  bodies.  Now,  if  the 


A   DIFFICULTY   FOR  ASTRONOMERS. 


second  law  of  motion  is  in  consonance  with  nature, 
when  the  force  of  the  gravity  of  the  sun  deflects 
the  earth  from  the  direction  of  the  projectile 
impulse,  supposed  to  be  perpendicular  to  the  line 
of  the  sun's  attraction,  why  does  the  earth  move  in 
a  curve  line,  and  not  in  a  right  line,  according  to 
the  second  law  of  motion  ? 

Nor  does  the  fact  that  the  force  of  the  sun  is 
attractive,  and  not  projectile,  alter  the  case  so  as  to 
vitiate  the  principle  involved  ;  for  whether  the 
force  of  the  sun  attracts  the  earth,  or  the  earth  is 
driven  in  the  line  of  the  sun's  attraction,  in  either 
case  it  is  in  the  direction  of  a  right  line,  and  the 
result,  according  to  the  second  law  of  motion, 
would  be  the  same. 

And  because  the  result  of  a  drawing  or  attract- 
ing force,  like  that  of  the  sun  is  supposed  to  be,  is 
not  in  any  material  degree  different  from  a  pro- 
jectile or  driving  force,  those  forces,  simultaneously 
acting  on  a  body  according  to  the  second  law  of 
motion,  should  compel  the  earth  to  describe  the 
diagonal  of  a  parallelogram,  two  of  the  sides  of 
which  are  made  up  of  the  lines  in  which  the  two 
forces  act  at  right  angles  with  each  other  ;  and  in 
the  direction  of  this  diagonal  the  earth  should 
move,  as  an  effect  of  the  composition  of  the  forces. 
But  the  motion  of  the  earth  is  curvilinear,  and  not 
rectilinear ;  and  it  must  be  that  the  motion  of  the 
earth  is  straight,  or  else  the  second  law  of  motion 
is  not  a  law  of  nature. 

A  Difficulty  for  Astronomers. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  parallelogram  of  forces 
by  which  the  earth  is  supposed  to  be  carried 
around  the  sun  has  nothing  to  do  toward  causing 


A   DIFFICULTY   FOR   ASTRONOMERS. 


the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth.  A  third  force, 
called  an  oblique  impulse,  was  called  into  requisi- 
tion to  account  for  the  revolution  of  the  earth  on 
its  axis.  In  Newton's  Principia  (Book  1,  p.  214, 
cor.  22),  he  teaches  how  a  globe,  by  an  oblique 
impulse,  may  acquire  a  rotation  on  an  axis  which 
will  remain  perpetually  invariable,  and  not  be 
subject  to  centripetal  force.  It  appears,  then,  that 
three  forces,  one  attracting  and  two  driving  forces, 
compose  the  powers  that  generated  the  New- 
tonian manner  of  moving  the  earth  axially  and 
orbitally  around  the  sun.  The  two  driving  forces 
were  supposed  to  complete  their  work  from  the 
instant  of  their  impact  having  generated  the  axial 
and  projectile  motions  of  the  earth  ;  but  the  force 
of  the  sun's  attraction  was  assumed  to  be  constant 
and  perpetual. 

The  introduction  of  the  third  oblique  impulse, 
to  originate  the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth,  could 
not  have  been  without  the  alteration  of  the  curvi- 
linear motion  of  the  earth.  For  the  sake  of  the 
subject,  let  the  geometricians,  mathematicians,  and 
astronomers,  and  all  others  competent  to  judge, 
carry  out  their  convictions  as  to  the  truth  of  what 
they  believe  to  be  the  attractive  force  of  the  sun 
and  the  earth's  centrifugal  force,  a  la  Newton,  to 
generate  the  motion  of  the  earth  in  its  orbit. 
These  forces  suffice,  you  think,  to  originate  the 
orbital  motion;  but  an  axial  motion  is  also 
required,  and  to  cause  it  you  must  use  Newton's 
third  oblique  force. 

But  this  third  oblique  force  can  not  be  used 
against  the  earth  without  deranging  the  curvilinear 
motion  of  the  earth,  and  once  deranged  is  to  be 
forever  destroyed. 


THE  ZIGZAGS. 


The  Zigzags. 

In  every  second  of  time  the  earth  describes  a 
part  of  her  orbit  equal  to  nineteen  miles,  and  this 
astonishingly  swift  curvilinear  motion  precludes  the 
possibility  of  its  having  been  originated  by  the 
attraction  of  the  sun  and  the  earth's  projectile 
force  conjoined.  For  to  suppose  that  the  earth 
falls  in  a  right  line  toward  the  sun  at  the  rate  of 
nineteen  miles  every  second  of  time,  and  simulta- 
neously is  driven  in  the  right  line  of  the  projectile 
force  at  the  rate  of  nineteen  miles  every  second  of 
time,  the  whole  course  would  be  a  series  of  zigzag 
motions,  this  way  and  that  way,  from  which  the 
earth  could  not  recover  so  as  to  pursue  the  even 
and  smooth  tenor  of  her  way  which  she  is  known 
to  do. 

There  is  no  escape  from  these  zigzag  motions 
which  inhere  to  the  Newtonian  forces.  If  you 
choose  a  space  of  time  as  small  as  the  one-thou- 
sandth part  of  a  second  of  time,  the  zigzag  motions 
will  still  be  prominent ;  and  in  this  time,  according 
to  the  theory,  the  earth  will  describe  two  sides  of  a 
square  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  a  motion  this  way 
and  that  way  on  the  square,  then  the  curvilinear 
motion,  and  then  the  oblique  force,  compose  an 
inexplicable  zigzag  curve  line  of  confusion.  The 
reader  may  not  be  prepared  to  receive  this  conclu- 
sion, because  the  resultant  confusion  looks  hardly 
like  anything  that  could  result  from  the  science 
established  by  Newton ;  nevertheless,  escape  from 
the  sad  effects  if  you  can,  but  let  it  be  an  escape 
in  the  way  of  true  wisdom. 


INCIDENT  AND  REFLECTED  MOTIONS. 


Incident  and  Reflected  Motions. 

The  universities  and  other  institutions  of  learn- 
ing teach  that  the  angles  of  incident  and  reflected 
motions  of  a  globe  are  always  equal  to  each  other, 
and  from  this  equality  there  is  no  escape.  But 
it  will  be  made  to  appear  that  the  angle  of  the 
reflected  motion  depends  altogether  on  the  mode 
of  the  motive  force,  and  that : 

1.  The  reflected  motion  of  a  globe  may  be  in 
the  line  of  its  incident  motion. 

2.  The  angles  of  the  incident  and  reflected  mo- 
tions of  a  globe  may  be  equal  to  each  other. 

3.  The  incident  motion  of  a  globe  may  be  in  a 
line  perpendicular  to  a  wall,  and  the  reflected  mo- 
tion in  a  line  at  an  angle  of  many  degrees. 

4.  The  incident  motion  of  a  globe  may  be  in  an 
oblique  line  to  a  wall,  and  the  reflected  motion  in 
the  same  line. 

Thus  demonstrating  how  much  the  philosophy 
of  the  schools  needs  reforming.  I  am  in  some 
good  degree  repeating  the  epoch  of  Galileo.  On 
one  side  the  learned  ability  of  the  intellectual 
lights  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  the  consent 
of  centuries  of  men  of  mind,  that  the  angle  of  the 
reflected  motion  of  a  globe  is  always  equal  to  the 
angle  of  its  incident  motion.  On  the  other  side,  a 
man,  unknown  to  fame,  presumes  to  teach  his 
peers  of  a  heaven-begotten,  but  erring  race,  that 
the  angles  of  incidence  and  reflection  of  a  moving 
globe  are  equal  only  when  the  motive  force  im- 
pinges centrally  on  the  globe  ;  in  all  other  cases, 
when  the  motive  force  is  sidewise,  the  angle  of 
reflection  is  never  equal  to  the  angle  of  incidence, 
which  will  be  clearly  illustrated  in  the  following 
examples. 


INCIDENT  AND  KEFLECTED  MOTIONS. 


DEMONSTEATIONS. 
Figure  1. 

o 


B 


FIRST   EXAMPLE. 


In  Fig.  1,  let  the  line  A  B  represent  a  wall 
against  which  any  body  may  be  driven,  and  the 
line  C  D  a  base  line  from  which  bodies  may  be 
projected. 

1.  "With  a  globe  at  the  point  0,  I  applied  a 
central  force  in  the  direction  of  the  line  0  0,  pass- 
ing through  the  centre  of  the  globe,  and  the  globe 
from  this  impulse  acquired  an  incident  motion 
from  the  point  0  to  0,  in  the  line  0  0,  and  in  the 
rebound  the  globe  in  its  reflected  motion  moved 
from  0  to  0,  in  the  line  0  0.  In  this  example, 
the  incident  and  reflected  motions  of  the  globe 
were  in  the  same  right  line  0  0,  perpendicular  to 
the  wall  A  B. 


SECOND    EXAMPLE. 


Again:  with  the  globe  at  the  point  0,  I  urged 


INCIDENT  AND  REFLECTED  MOTIONS. 


against  it  a  motive  sidewise  force,  to  the  right  of, 
and  in  a  line  parallel  to,  the  line  0  0,  and  the  in- 
cident motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line  0  0,  but 
in  the  rebound  the  reflected  motion  of  the  globe 
was  in  the  line  0  R. 

With  the  motive  force  a  little  more  sidewise, 
the  reflected  motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  line  from  0  to  D  ;  and  the  sidewise  force 
could  be  so  applied  to  the  globe  at  the  point  0, 
that,  in  its  several  reflected  motions,  it  would  de- 
scribe every  line  that  could  be  produced  in  the 
angle  0  0  D. 

TRIED   EXAMPLE. 

I  placed  the  globe  again  at  the  point  0,  and 
urged  against  it  a  motive  sidewise  force,  to  the 
left  of  and  in  a  line  parallel  to  the  line  0  0,  and 
the  incident  motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line 
0  0,  but  in  the  rebound  the  reflected  motion  of 
the  globe  was  in  the  line  0  S. 

FOURTH   EXAMPLE. 

I  then  placed  the  globe  at  the  point  R,  and  with 
a  sidewise  motive  force  to  the  right  of  and  paral- 
lel to  the  line  R  0,  projected  the  globe  in  the  line 
R  0  against  the  point  0,  and  in  the  rebound  the 
reflected  motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line  0  R. 
And  with  the  force  a  little  more  sidewise  the 
incident  motion  was  in  the  line  R  0,  but  the 
reflected  motion  was  in  a  line  from  0  to  D. 

Now  when  we  consider  that  the  reflected  motions 
of  this  example,  which  were  respectively  in  the 
lines  0  R  and  from  0  to  D,  when,  according  to  the 
theory,  they  should  in  both  of  the  reflections  have 
been  in  the  line  0  S,  it  is  plain  how  fur  from  the 
truth  is  the  received  theory  that  the  angles  of 
incidence  and  reflections  are  always  equal. 


INCIDENT  AND  REFLECTED  MOTIONS. 


FIFTH    EXAMPLE. 

Again :  with  the  globe  at  the  point  R,  and  the 
motive  force  less  sidewise  than  in  the  fourth 
example,  the  globe  was  projected  against  the  wall 
at  the  point  0,  and  in  the  rebound  the  reflected 
motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line  0  0. 

SIXTH   EXAMPLE. 

Again :  with  the  globe  at  the  point  R,  with  a 
motive  central  force,  the  globe  was  projected 
against  the  point  0,  and  in  the  rebound  the  re- 
flected motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line  O  S. 
In  this  example,  the  angle  of  the  incident  and 
reflected  motions  of  the  globe  are  equal. 

SEVENTH  EXAMPLE. 

Once  more  :  with  the  globe  at  the  point  R,  with 
a  motive  sidewise  force  to  the  left  of  and  parallel 
to  the  line  R  0,  the  globe  was  projected  against 
the  point  0,  and  in  the  rebound,  the  reflected 
motion  of  the  globe  was  in  the  line  0  P. 

KEMARKS. 

In  the  examples,  the  sidewise  motive  forces 
tended  to  drive  the  globe  slightly  in  curve  lines, 
but  they  were  compensated  for  in  the  rebound, 
and  were  treated  in  my  text  as  if  they  were 
straight-line  incident  and  reflected  motions. 

1.  In  the  first  example,  the  motive  force  to  move 
the  globe  was  a  central  force.     From  its  nature, 
and  the  line  of  its  direction  being  perpendicular  to 
the   line   A  B,  the  incident  motion  of  the  globe 
progressed  in  the  line  0  0,  and  the  reflected  mo- 
tion regressed  in  the  line  O  0. 

2.  In  the  sixth  example,  the   motive   force  to 
move  the  globe  in  the  line  R  0  was  of  the  same 


INCIDENT  AND  KEFLECTED  MOTIONS. 


kind  of  central  force  as  that  employed  in  the  first 
example,  but  the  line  of  its  direction,  as  seen  in  the 
figure,  is  oblique,  or  inclined  to  the  line  A  B  a 
measure  of  several  degrees  ;  and  because  the  force 
was  central,  the  incident  motion  of  the  globe  was 
in  the  line  R  0  and  the  reflected  motion  in  the 
line  0  S. 

3.  In  the  remaining  five  examples  the  angles  of 
reflections  and  incidence  are  not  equal.     A  most 
convincing  demonstration  that  when  our  philosoph- 
ical  fathers   gave    to   the  world  their  notions  of 
forces   and   the   reflected    motions  of  globes  they 
were  themselves  still  in  need  of  more  knowledge, 
and  did  succeed  in  making  mankind  believe  that 
error  is  truth. 

4.  In  the  seven  examples  I  have  demonstrated 
a  globe  is  subject  to  any  variety  of  angular  direc- 
tion  differing    from   the    angle    of   incidence,    or 
agreeing  with  it,  as  the  motive  force  is  central  or 
sidewise.     Also  a  motive  sidewise  force,  to  drive 
the  globe  from  the  point  R  against  the  point  0, 
can  be  so  impressed  that  in  the  rebound  from  0  the 
globe  will  describe  an  arc  of  a  circle  of  which  the 
right  line  0  P  may  represent  the  chord. 

It  is  certain  that  the  incident  and  reflected 
motions  of  globes  may  be  in  right  or  curve  lines  as 
the  motive  force  is  central  or  sidewise,  and  there- 
fore they  are  not  the  offspring  of  chance,  but  arise 
from  and  are  generated  in  the  natural  law  of 
motions,  and  therefore  the  reflected  motion  of  the 
globe  may  be  in  the  line  of  projection,  as  is  seen  in 
the  fourth  example  ;  or  the  angle  of  reflection  may 
be  one-half  less  than  the  angle  of  incidence,  as  is 
seen  in  the  fifth  example  ;  or  the  angle  of  reflection 
may  equal  the  angle  of  incidence,  as  is  seen  in  the 


PARALLELOGRAM. 


sixth  example ;  or  the  angle  of  reflection  may  be 
more  than  the  angle  of  incidence,  as  is  seen  in  the 
seventh  example.  Furthermore,  a  motive  force 
of  the  central  and  sidewise  kinds  will  cause  globes 
to  rebound  just  as  you  have  the  powers  afforded 
by  nature,  and  the  ability  to  use  them;  and  the 
power  of  a  certain  kind  of  force  to  control  a  globe 
from  the  point  of  its  rebound  is  here  brought  to 
light,  and  the  reason  for  it  is  found  in  the  law  of 
nature,  and  it  is  this :  That  the  matter  composing 
a  globe  may  be  subjected  to  any  force  that  may  be 
impressed  on  it,  not  only  at  the  instant  of  the 
impact  of  the  motive  t  force,  but  also  at  the  time  of 
the  rebound  of  the  globe,  as  will  be  more  fully  seen 
further  on. 

Figure  2. 


Parallelogram. 

You  may  find  the  likeness  of  Fig.  2  in  Newton's 
Principia,  p.  84,  Corollary  1.  There  Newton 
teaches  :  That  if  a  force  will  cause  a  body  to  move 
in  the  line  from  A  to  B,  and  another  force  will 
move  the  body  in  the  line  from  A  to  C,  the  con- 
joining of  these  forces,  impressed  on  the  body  at 
A,  will  cause  it  to  describe  the  line  A  D  of  the 
diagonal  of  the  parallelogram  A  C  D  B. 

This  seemingly  solid  reasoning  will  baffle  every 
objection  which  may  be  brought  against  it,  but 


PARALLELOGRAM. 


one,  and  that  is  too  much  for  the  paper  geometry 
which  has  been  so  long,  and  often,  and  every- 
where, satisfactorily  employed  to  demonstrate  the 
resultant  motion  which  was  supposed  to  arise  from 
the  conjoining  of  two  projectile  forces. 

Newton's  universal  law  of  gravity  is  a  third 
force,  according  to  the  theory,  which,  he  said,  al- 
ways acted,  and  from  the  interference  of  its  force 
not  even  the  smallest  particle  of  matter  could 
possibly  escape  ;  therefore,  whether  the  body  move 
from  A  to  B,  or  from  A  to  C,  or  from  A  to  D,  it  must 
encounter  the  force  of  gravity,  and  be  deflected 
from  its  right-line  motions  for  the  very  reason  that 
Newton  said  deflected  the  motion  of  the  earth 
from  the  right  line  of  its  projectile  force.  Why 
Newton  and  other  geometricians,  in  their  exposi- 
tions of  resultant  right-line  motions,  paid  no 
respect  to  and  made  no  allowance  for  universal 
gravitation,  but  reasoned  as  if  it  had  no  existence, 
is  singular  enough ! 

The  knowledge  of  the  spheroidal  gravitation  of 
the  earth  compels  the  conviction  that  a  right-line 
resultant  motion  of  a  body  in  the  diagonal  of  a 
parallelogram,  as  the  result  of  two  right-line  motive 
forces,  never  took  place ;  and  never  can  in  any 
region  where  spheroidal  gravitation  holds  its  sway. 
The  fact  of  the  possibility  only,  to  say  nothing  of 
its  having  been  done,  of  causing  resultant  motion 
in  a  straight  line  is  forbidden,  and  the  reason  of 
this  is  still  more  fully  made  out  by  the  considera- 
tion of  the  impossibility  of  composing  two  right- 
line  forces  independent  of  the  force  of  gravity. 
Now  if  to  Newton's  two  motive  right-line  forces 
you  add  his  third  force  of  gravity,  or,  instead  of 
that,  you  add  the  force  of  spheroidal  gravity, 


TO   BE   WELL   UNDERSTOOD. 


henceforth  none  will  be  found  stupid  enough  to 
say :  That  a  composition  of  three  forces,  two  of 
them  being  in  the  lines  A  B  and  A  C  of  the  figure, 
will  cause  a  body  to  move  in  the  diagonal  A  D  of 
the  parallelogram  A  C  D  B. 

To  be  Well  Understood. 
I. 

Bodies  moving  in  the  air  encounter  atmospher- 
ical resistance,  and  are  also  drawn  aside  by  the 
spheroidal  gravity  of  the  earth ;  but  exterior  to  the 
atmospheres  of  all  the  celestial  bodies  the  space  is 
free,  being  void  of  all  resistance,  and  bodies  started 
into  motion  in  this  free  space,  by  the  effect  of  the 
primitive  impulse,  will  move  continually;  so  that 
when  we  speak  of  globes  or  bodies  moving  in  free 
space,  the  reader  will  do  well  to  have  in  mind 
what  is  the  meaning  of  bodies  moving  in  free 
space. 

II. 

If,  after  all  I  have  said  against  the  Newtonian 
causes  of  the  celestial  motions,  my  subsequent 
demonstrations  fail  to  be  convincing  and  satisfac- 
tory, the  mental  training  and  gain  in  this  pathway 
of  sublime  grandeur  will  more  than  compensate  for 
the  lapsed  years  of  earnest  love-sought  toil.  If  de-' 
feated  and  disappointed  by  the  rebut  of  the  truly 
wise,  and  the  rose-bud  of  my  hope  is  forbidden  to 
bloom  in  joyful  success,  I  will  retire  from  the  glo- 
rious conflict  in  the  possession  of  the  luxury  of  hav- 
ing wrestled  for  the  mastery  with  the  giant — THE 
MAN  who,  in  the  judgment  of  the  most  intelligent 
of  his  admirers,  is  the  first  in  the  profundities  of 
science,  the  greatest  geometrician  and  mathematical 
naturalist  in  the  line  of  human  beings. 


TO   BE  WELL  UNDERSTOOD. 


But  if  I  fail,  my  countrymen,  please  say  I  was 
vanquished  with  none  to  share  with  me  the  glory 
of  the  disappointment. 

III. 

In  my  thesis  of  things  I  teach  that  the  doctrine 
of  nature,  in  her  motions,  is  distinguished  from 
right-line  motions ;  and  I  commend  to  men,  for  their 
adoption,  the  following  formula,  which  embraces  a 
manner  of  setting  forth  a  law  of  nature. 

NATURAL  LAW  OF  THE  CELESTIAL  MOTIONS. 

The  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  were  orig- 
inally and  naturally  rotary  and  curvilinear,  which 
motions  were  originated  by  the  agency  of  side  wise 
forces  which  were  impressed  on  the  bodies  in  lines 
parallel  to,  and  more  or  less  aside  from,  lines  pass- 
ing through  the  centres  of  the  bodies. 

f  IV- 

All  the  philosophers  admit  that  it  is  a  property 
of  matter  to  be  indifferent  to  rest  or  motion.  Hence 
bodies  in  a  state  of  rest  can  not  move  themselves  ; 
nor  can  they,  if  in  motion,  arrest  their  course. 

Y. 

ALTERATION  OF  MOTION. 

.  The  addition  of  the  Newtonian  oblique  impulse  to 
cause  the  rotary  motion  of  a  globe  will  cause  an 
alteration  of  the  orbital  motion.  It  makes  no 
difference  at  what  time  the  oblique  force  impinges  ; 
it  will  derange  the  orbital  motion  and  destroy  it, 
compelling  the  globe  to  pursue  a  direction  of  motion 
contrary  to  that  orbital  motion  which  is  said  to 
have  been  originated  by  the  Newtonian  parallelo- 
gram of  forces ;  and  on  this  account,  if  we  had  no 
other  occasion,  there  exists  a  cause  to  look  for  an- 


TO   BE   WELL   UNDERSTOOD.  65 

other  way  of  accounting  for  the  celestial  motions 
besides  that  which  is  received. 

VI. 

All  bodies  possess  weight,  but  their  weights  are 
not  the  causes  of  their  motions,  nor  any  supposed 
attractions  of  their  weights,  else  they  would  have 
the  power  to  move  themselves,  which  is  contrary  to 
nature  and  educated  experience. 

But  because  matter,  if  moved,  must  be  subjected 
to  a  force  not  resident  in  itself,  but  exterior  to  it, 
and  all  the  motions,  tendencies,  and  forces  pertain- 
ing to  a  moving  globe  were  originated,  and  may  be 
again,  by  exterior  motive  force,  I  shall  be  able  to 
demonstrate  that  all  kinds  of  motions  of  globes  are 
independent  of  the  Newtonian  law  of  universal 
gravitation  and  the  received  laws  of  motions. 

VII. 

Because  globes  from  single  motive  forces  may  be 
urged  in  any  kind  of  single  and  compound  resulting 
motions  known  to  exist  among  the  celestial  motions, 
I  will  attempt  to  show  what  kind  and  direction  of 
motive  force  will  generate  the  various  elliptical,  cir- 
cular, and  epicycloidal  orbits  in  which  move  the  sun, 
planets,  satellites  or  moons,  asteroids,  and  comets. 

VIII. 

EIGHT-LINE  MOTION  OF  A  GLOBE. 

So  far  from  it  being  true,  as  taught  by  Newton 
and  Ferguson,  the  universities  and  colleges  of  our 
country,  and  throughout  the  world,  that  any  body, 
from  the  effect  of  a  single  force,  is  always  compelled 
to  move  forward  in  a  right  line  in  the  direction  of 
the  line  in  which  the  force  is  impressed — it  is  never 
so,  except  the  impinging  force  is  central,  in  a  line 


m 


TO   BE  WELL  UNDERSTOOD. 


passing  through  the  centre  of  the  globe,  and  then 
the  globe,  if  in  free  space,  or  if  supported  on  a 
smooth  level  plane,  would  move  forward  in  a  right- 
line  motion. 

DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  3. 


In  Fig.  3,  suppose  the  circle  to  represent  a 
quiescent  globe,  its  centre  and  the  point  B  on  its 
surface  to  lie  in  a  line  with  the  line  A,  and  the  line 
A  to  represent  the  line  of  the  motive  force. 

Now,  if  the  motive  force  is  directed  in  the  line  A, 
and  impinges  on  the  globe  at  the  point  B  on  its 
surface,  the  globe  will  move  forward  in  a  sliding 
motion  in  the  direction  of  the  right  line  C. 

1.  The  force  to  move  the  globe  in  a  forward 
rectilinear  motion  was  a  central  force,  and  on  this 
account  the  globe  acquired  a  single  sliding  motion, 
but  without  axial  rotation,   because    it  is  in  the 
nature  of  a  central  motive  force  to  impart  none. 

2.  This  is  rigidly  true  of  a  globe  that  might  be 
so  projected  in  free  space,  and  is  true  of  a  globe 
supported  by  a  smooth  level  plane,  due  allowance 
being  made  for  friction  incidental  to  the  contact  of 
the  globe  with  the  plane  over  which  it  moved.    But 
if  the  central  motive  force  is  sufficiently  strong  to 
overcome  the  friction,  which  it  may  be,  then  the 
sliding  motion  will  be  preserved  intact,  and  so  un- 
derstood, whether  in  free  space  or  on  a  level  smooth 
plane,  the  globe  will  move  forward  in  the  direction 
of  a  right  line  in  a  single  sliding  motion. 


TO   BE  WELL  UNDERSTOOD.  67 

3.  Any  attempt  to  move  a  globe  in  the  direction 
of  a  right  line,  the  motive  force  being  not  central, 
is  contrary  to  nature's  law  of  forces,  and  will  meet 
with  a  signal  failure. 

4.  Aided  by  the  light  of  former  observations  it 
may  now  be   admissible  to  infer,  that  if  a  globe 
should  be  discovered  hereafter  moving  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  right  line  it  may  be  taken  for  granted 
that  it  is  without  an  axial  rotation,  and  that  the 
force  which  generated  its  motion  was   a   central 
motive  force. 

Furthermore,  you  may  infer  that  all  bodies  having 
curve-line  motion  must  have  also  a  rotary  motion, 
for  in  the  laws  of  nature  these  resulting  motions 
are  inseparable  from  each  other. 

IX. 

MOTIONS  OF  GLOBES. 

How  a  globe,  subject  to  a  motive  central  force  in 
a  line  passing  through  its  centre,  may  be  driven 
against  another  globe  in  a  line  passing  through  its 
centre,  and  at  the  instant  of  colliding  the  resulting 
force  of  the  first  globe  will  be  transferred  to  the 
second  globe,  compelling  it  to  move  forward  ;  but 
the  first  globe,  having  transferred  its  force  of  mo- 
tion, will  remain  fixed  at  or  very  near  the  point  at 
which  the  globes  collided,  as  the  force  was  more 
or  less  accurately  impressed. 

But  if  the  force  is  truly  a  central  force,  and  prop- 
erly graduated,  the  first  globe,  at  the  instant  of 
congress  with  its  fellow  globe,  will  remain  fixed, 
and  no  rebound  or  turning  to  the  right  or  left  can 
possibly  take  place. 


TO   BE   WELL  UNDERSTOOD. 


DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  4. 


In  Fig.  4,  suppose  the  circles  B  and  C  to  rep- 
resent globes  and  their  centres,  and  the  points  B 
and  C  on  their  surfaces  to  fall  in  a  right  line  with 
the  lines  F  X. 

Now,  if  a  motive  central  force,  directed  in  the 
line  F,  impinges  on  the  point  B  of  the  globe  B,  it 
will  be  driven  against  point  C  of  globe  C,  and  at 
the  instant  of  colliding  globe  C  will  move  forward 
in  the  direction  of  the  line  X ;  but  globe  B,  arrested 
in  its  course  by  the  nature  of  the  projectile  force 
at  the  instant  of  the  colliding,  remains  motionless. 

1.  This  example  shows  how  the  mover  of  the 
force  may  command  the  motion  of  the  globe  after 
it  passed  from  the  motive  force  at  the  time  of  the 
colliding  of  the  globes. 

2.  The  example   shows  that  a  body  may  have 
action  without  reaction.     Sir  Isaac  Newton,  on  the 
third  law  of  motion,  says  :  "To  every  action  there 
is  always  opposed  an  equal  reaction."     This  uni- 
versal portion  of  the  third  law  of  motion  I  have 
shown   to   be  without   foundation.     Under   other 
combinations  of  conditions  and  circumstances,  action 
and  reaction  obtain ;  but  so  far  as  the  equality  of 
action  and  reaction  is  concerned,  it  may  be  equal, 
or  one-half,  or  nothing,  altogether  depending  on 
the  will  of  the  mover  and  his  choice  of  the  kind  of 
projectile  force. 


TO   BE   WELL   UNDERSTOOD. 


3.  What  I  wished  to  do  was  to  bring  to  the  light 
one  example  of  exception  to  the  third  received  law 
of  motion.  .  Having  accomplished  this,  I  submit  the 
case  to  whoever,  loving  truth,  may  wish  to  enlarge 
the  domain  of  his  mental  perception. 

X. 

MOTIONS  OP  GLOBES. 

How  a  globe,  from  a  superior  motive  force,  may 
acquire  a  rotary  and  forward  motion,  and  in  its 
course  encounter  a  second  globe,  and  at  the  instant 
of  colliding  both  globes  will  move  forward. 

DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  5. 


In  Fig.  5,  suppose  the  circles  B  and  0  to  rep- 
resent globes  ready  to  obey  any  kind  of  impulse 
that  may  be  impressed  on  them,  and  the  point  C 
on  the  surface  of  the  globe  C  to  fall  in  the  line  X. 
The  line  F  is  the  line  of  the  motive  force,  in  which 
direction  the  force  may  be  urged  against  globe  B 
at  the  point  B,  which  line  is  above  and  parallel  to 
a  line  joining  the  centres  of  the  globes. 

With  a  motive  force  in  the  line  F  impinging  on 
globe  B  at  the  point  B,  the  globe  will  move  forward 
in  the  direction  of  the  line  X,  collide  with  globe  C, 
drive  it  forward,  and,  without  being  sensibly  re- 
tarded, follow  on  after  globe  C  in  a  compound 
rotary  forward  motion.  In  this  example  the  globe 
B  was  impressed  by  the  motive  force  with  a  com- 


TO   BE   WELL  UNDERSTOOD. 


pound  rotary  and  forward  motion,  which  continued 
after  the  colliding  of  the  globes,  and  this  difference 
of  result,  when  compared  with  the  former  example, 
is  due  also  to  the  will  of  the  mover  and  his  choice 
of  the  location  of  the  force.  When  the  force  is  ap- 
plied, as  in  Fig.  5,  on  the  upper  hemisphere  of  the 
globe,  I  call  it  a  superior  motive  force,  and  when 
applied,  as  in  Fig.  6,  on  the  lower  hemisphere  of 
the  globe,  I  call  it  an  inferior  motive  force. 

XL 

MOTIONS  OP  GLOBES. 

How  a  globe,  by  a  single  inferior  motive  force, 
may  acquire  forward  and  backward  rotary,  mo- 
tions, and  in  its  advance  encounter  another  globe, 
and  from  the  instant  of  colliding  regress  with 
rotary  and  backward  motions. 

DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  6. 


In  Fig.  6,  the  circles  B  and  C  represent  globes 
ready  to  obey  any  kind  of  impulse,  and  the  centres 
of  the  globes  and  the  point  C  fall  in  a  line  with 
the  line  X.  The  line  F  is  the  line  for  the  direction 
of  the  motive  force,  which  line  is  below  and  paral- 
lel to  a  line  joining  the  centres  of  the  globes. 

With  a  motive  force  in  the  direction  of  the  line 
F  impinging  on  the  point  B  of  globe  B,  it  will 
move  forward,  collide  with  globe  C,  drive  it  in  the 
direction  of  the  line  X,  and  from  the  instant  of 


TO   BE   WELL  UNDERSTOOD. 


colliding  with  globe  C  will  return  over  the  line  in 
which  it  was  projected,  in  a  compound  rotary 
backward  motion. 

1.  In  this  case  we  have  an  example  of  the  ac- 
tion and  reaction  of  globe  B ;  but  the  reaction  did 
not  originate  in  the  nature  of  the  elasticity  of  the 
globe  in  a  rebound,  for  the  rebound,  or  return  of 
the  globe,  was  wholly  at  the  option  of  the  mover 
and  choice  of  the  force,  without  any  respect  to  the 
law  of  action  and  reaction,  and  so  far  I  have  de- 
monstrated that  the  masses  of  the  matter  of  globes 
are  wholly  liable  to  the  action  of  motive  forces. 

2.  In  the  first  example  of  motions  of  globes, 
under  Fig.  4,  a  central  force  caused  the  globe  B 
at  the  instant  of  colliding  to  assume  a  state  of  rest. 

3.  In  the  second  example  of  motions  of  globes, 
under  Fig.  5,  a  superior  motive  force  caused  globe 
B  to  follow  globe  C  after  the  colliding  of  the  globes. 

Such  a  direction  of  force  always  generates  in  a 
globe  a  compound  rotary  forward  motion,  not 
liable  to  destruction  by  colliding  with  another 
globe. 

4.  In  the  third  example  of  motions  of  globes 
under  Fig.  6,  the  inferior  motive  force  was  below 
the  centre,  and  parallel  to  the  plane  on  which  the 
globe  was  supposed  to  move.     Such  a  direction  of 
force  will   always   generate    forward    and    rotary 
backward   motions,   not    liable   to  destruction  by 
colliding  with  another  globe,  and  the   three-fold 
motion   may  invite    and   interest   the    curious  to 
know  the  capability  of  the  inferior  motive  force. 

XII. 

How  a  globe,  by  an  inferior  motive  force,  may 
acquire  forward  and  backward  rotary  motions. 


TO   BE  WELL   UNDERSTOOD. 


DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  7. 


In  Fig.  7,  the  circle  B  represents  a  globe  in  a 
relative  state  of  quiescence,  ready  to  yield  obedi- 
ence to  any  mode  of  force  which  may  be  employed 
by  the  mover,  and  move  forward  in  the  direction 
of  X,  and  then  retreat  over  the  line  of  the  forward 
motion,  pass  the  point  from  which  it  was  projected, 
and  fall  back  to  F. 

According  to  the  philosopher's  received  first  law 
of  motion,  any  body,  meeting  no  obstacle  or  con- 
trary motive  force,  will,  from  the  effect  of  a  single 
projectile  impulse,  move  forward  with  a  uniform 
motion  in  the  direction  of  a  right  line.  Contrary 
to  this,  it  is  demonstrable  that  a  kind  of  oscillatory 
resulting  motion  may  be  generated  by  a  single 
motive  force  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  that  one  motive 
force  may  be  made  that  will  produce  the  same 
result  that  may  arise  from  two  motive  forces  act- 
ing against  each  other  in  opposite  directions  in  the 
same  right  line. 

The  first  law  of  motion  forbids  even  the  rational 
thinking  of  such  a  case  as  I  have  proposed;  but, 
somehow,  globes,  if  they  were  ever  subject  to  the 
philosopher's  laws,  have  rebelled,  and  now,  in  all 
kinds  of  directions  and  in  seemingly  fantastic 
curves,  in  one  grand  romp  of  all  kinds  of  resulting 
motions,  declare  their  freedom  from  the  restraints 


TO    BE   WELL    UNDERSTOOD. 


of  the  first,  second,  and  third  man-devised  and 
erring  laws  of  motion. 

With  a  motive  force  in  the  line  F  of  the  figure 
impinging  on  the  surface  of  the  globe  at  the  point 
B,  the  globe  will  acquire  a  rotary  motion  in  the 
direction  of  the  letters  from  C  to  D  and  B,  and  also 
a  forward  motion  in  the  direction  of  X. 

The  motive  force  in  this  example,  being  an  infe- 
rior force,  will  always  impart,  when  impinging  on 
a  globe,  three  resulting  motions — rotary,  forward, 
and  backward ;  but  the  rotary  motion  will  retard 
and  overcome  the  forward  motion,  and  then  the 
globe  will  regress  with  rotary  and  backward  mo- 
tions. 

These  resulting  motions  constitute  a  demonstra- 
tion of  the  fact,  that  one  inferior  right-line  motive 
force  will  compel  a  globe  to  advance  and  regress 
in  the  same  right  line  of  direction,  doing  in  this 
instance  what  heretofore  was  supposed  to  require 
the  operation  of  two  forces. 

These  advancing  and  regressing  motions  may 
also  be  caused  if  the  motive  force  impinge  on  the 
globe  in  Fig.  7  at  the  point  D,  in  the  direction  of 
a  line  perpendicular  to  the  supposed  plane  on 
which  the  globe  may  move. 

XIII. 

RESULTS  OF  FOECE — DEMONSTRATION. 
Figure  8. 


Fig.  8  is  supposed  to  be  the  segment  of  a  circle 
drawn  on  a  horizontal  plane,  and  the  circle  A  a 
globe.  The  right  line,  or  chord,  of  the  arc  is 
supposed  to  include  a  length  of  twelve  feet. 


TO    BE   WELL   UNDERSTOOD. 


PKOPOSITION. 

A  globe  by  a  single  motive  force  may  be  made 
to  move  in  the  direction  of  a  chord  of  an  arc,  or  in 
the  direction  of  the  arc,  for  the  perfect  passivity  of 
matter  permits  all  kinds  of  resulting  directions, 
motions,  and  forces  to  be  generated  by  the  agency 
of  a  single  right-line  motive  force. 

First. — Suppose  A  in  the  figure  to  represent  a 
central  motive  force  impinging  on  globe  A  in  a  line 
passing  through  its  centre.  From  the  effect  of  such 
a  force  the  globe  will  move  forward  in  the  direction 
of  the  right  line,  which  is  the  chord  of  an  arc. 

Second. — Suppose  A  in  the  figure  to  represent  a 
sidewise  motive  force  impinging  on  globe  A,  aside 
from  and  parallel  to  the  line  of  the  central  force. 
From  the  effect  of  such  a  force  the  globe  will  move 
forward  describing  the  curve  line,  which  is  an  arc 
of  a  circle. 

Third. — This  demonstration  of  the  curvilinear 
motion  of  a  globe  opens  the  way  to  the  true  cause 
of  the  celestial  motions,  for  if  a  curve-line  motion 
of  a  globe  can  be  generated  by  the  agency  of  one 
force,  of  what  iise  to  employ  two  forces,  as  Newton 
did,  when  one  force  would  even  answer  a  more 
extensive  purpose  than  the  mere  generation  of  a 
curve-line  motion? 

^  Fourth. — Furthermore,  a  single  motive  force  can 
generate  a  curve-line  motion  of  a  globe.  Let  us 
suppose  the  globe  in  the  figure  to  have  been  the 
planet  Jupiter,  or  any  other  of  the  planetary  orbs, 
which  at  the  time  of  passing  from  rest  to  motion 
had  impressed  on  it  such  a  sidewise  force  os  I 
have  described.  From  the  nature  of  the  force  the 
planet  Jupiter  would  have  moved  forward  in  the 
curve  line  of  Fig.  8,  which  is  now  assumed  to  be 


9*. 

/^< 


THE   ANNOUNCEMENT. 


an  arc  of  Jupiter's  orbit ;  this  curve-line  motion 
being  continued,  the  planet  would  return  to  its 
starting  point,  and  because  in  free  space  the 
planet  could  not  stop,  and  there  being  no  obstacles 
in  the  way,  it  would  continue  to  describe  revolu- 
tions, which  are  the  yearly  revolutions  of  the 
planet.  Hence  the  origin  of  Jupiter's  orbital  rev- 
olutions is  found  in  a  single  force  ;  and  because 
the  sidewise  force  generated  also  a  rotary  motion 
in  the  planet  at  the  same  time  of  the  forward 
motion,  the  rotary  motion  being  continued,  re- 
sulted in  the  axial  rotations  of  Jupiter.  Hence  the 
origin  of  Jupiter's  axial  revolutions  is  found  in 
the  motive  sidewise  force  ;  and  if  such  a  force 
might  be  entertained  as  the  cause  of  the  motions 
of  one  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  why  not  of  all  the 
celestial  spheres  ? 

The  Announcement. 

It  having  been  demonstrated^that  a  right-line 
motive  force  impinging  sidewise  on  a  globe  will 
generate  rotary  and  curve-line  motions,  and  that 
the  form  of  the  curve  may  be  of  the  kind  which 
belongs  to  a  circle,  ellipse,  or  epicycle,  I  announce 
to  mankind  that  in  the  beginning  the  Creator,  by 
the  agency  of  sidewise  motive  forces,  generated 
the  diurnal  and  yearly  revolutions  of  the  celestial 
bodies,  and  that  in  the  nature  of  things  the  forces 
were  competent  to  cause  all  the  known  phenomena 
and  resulting  forces  which  inhere  in  all  the  heav- 
enly bodies. 

1.  The  sidewise  motive  force  generated  a  ro- 
tary motion,  which,  being  continued,  results  in  the 
diurnal  revolution  of  the  sphere. 

2.  The  sidewise  motive  force  generated  a  curve- 


THE  ANNOUNCEMENT. 


line  motion,  the  continuance  of  which  results  in  the 
orbital  revolution  of  the  sphere. 

3.  The  sidewise  motive  force  subjects  the  matter 
of  a  celestial  body  to  its  sway,  causing  its  matter 
to  tend  to  its  axial  centre,  modified  by  the  cen- 
trifugal force  of  the  rotating  sphere  ;  and  if  the 
measure  of  the  centrifugal  force  is  subtracted  from 
the  weight  of  the  matter  of  the  sphere  when  it- 
was  at  rest,  the  remainder  will  be  the  measure  of 
the  force  of  the  gravity  of  the  sphere. 

4.  The  matter  of  the  heavenly  body,  conform- 
ing itself  to  the  effect  of  the  sidewise  motive  force, 
assumed  the  form  of  an  oblate  sphere. 

5.  The  sidewise  motive  force,  in  the  manner  of 
its  application,  determined  the  measure  of  the  in- 
clination of  the  axis  to  the  plane  of  the  orbit  of 
the  heavenly  body. 

BEMAEKS. 

If  you  carefully  study  the  laws  of  motions  which 
were  employed  by  Newton  to  construct  his  system 
of  the  world,  it  will  clearly  appear  that  for  every 
resultant  motion  a  plurality  of  forces  were  requir- 
ed by  him  to  account  for  the  celestial  phenomena. 
Contrast  the  poverty  of  the  single  effect  of  a  New- 
tonian motive  force,  with  the  fruitfulness,  even 
exuberance,  of  a  motive  force  of  nature,  and  the 
majesty  of  the  power  of  a  sidewise  motive  force 
will  justly  claim  a  place  in  your  admiration,  and  the 
acknowledgment  due  to  this  all-commanding  force 
of  nature.  When,  in  the  wisdom  of  God,  a  power 
to  originate  axial  and  orbital  motions,  centrifugal 
and  centripetal  motions,  and  the  inclination  of  the 
axis  of  a  heavenly  body  to  the  plane  of  its  orbit 
was  required,  his  wisdom  saw  in  a  single  sidewise 
impulse  the  power  to  cause  these  quintuple  results, 


THE  ANNOUNCEMENT. 


and  matter  obeyed  the  majesty  of  force,  and,  up- 
starting from  its  rest  in  countless  moving  spheres, 
the  resulting  motions  and  forces  began  a  cycle  of 
activities  ever  interesting  to  God,  men,  and  angels. 

XIV. 

Varieties  of  curve-line  motions  to  which  the 
matter  of  the  heavenly  bodies  are  subjected  by 
single  forces. 

DEMONSTRATIONS. 
Figure  9. 


Fig.  9  represents  a  globe  ;  the  line  E  B,  its  equa- 
torial circle  ;  the  line  A  B,  a  quadrantal  arc  or  90°, 
the  first  to  begin  at  the  point  A,  and  the  ninetieth 
to  end  at  the  point  B. 

1.  Between  the  end  of  the  first  degree  from  A, 
on  to  22°  30 '  toward  B,  a  sidewise  motive  force 
impinging  on  the  globe  will  cause  it,  whether  in 
free  space  or  supported  on  a  smooth  level  surface, 
to  describe  a  curve  line.  The  curvature  of  the  line 
will  be  least  at  the  end  of  the  first  degree,  and  in- 
creasingly greater  as  the  force  is  directed  at  the 
end  of  the  second  and  third  degrees,  and  so  on  to 
the  point  22°  30'  distant  from  the  point  A.  Be- 


BILLIARDS. 


tween  these  limits,  a  sidewise  motive  force  will 
generate  any  kind  of  curve-line  motion,  which,  re- 
turning into  itself,  will  have  originated  any  form  of 
elongated  ellipse  which  may  be  required  for  those 
comets,  parts  of  whose  yearly  journeys  are  beyond 
the  orbit  of  Neptune. 

2.  A  sidewise  impulse,  impressed  successively  on 
every  degree  from  22°  30'  on  to  45°  toward  B, 
will  cause  the  globe  to  describe  a  series  of  curve 
lines,  which,  returning  into  themselves,  will  form 
any  possible  variety  of  orbits,  passing  from  the  el- 
liptical to  the  circular  form,  as  the  motive  force  is 
impressed  respectively  at  the  end  of  every  degree. 

The  orbits  generated  by  the  motive  force  as  de- 
scribed, originally  impinging  on  heavenly  bodies, 
were  such  as  are  described  by  comets  whose  yearly 
journeys  are  within  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  and  also 
the  planets  and  asteroids,  arid  also  that  that  is  de- 
scribed by  the  sun  in  his  orbital  journey. 

3.  A  sidewise  impulse  impressed  successively  on 
each  degree  from  45°  to  90°  will  cause  the  globe 
to  describe  a  series  of  curve  lines  which  will  par- 
take of  the  nature  of  a  curve,  which  is  an  arc  of  a 
circle ;   also  a  variety  of  curve  lines,  which  form 
parts  of  epicycles  and  spirals.      Hence  whatever 
curvilinear  direction  of  a  globe  is  required,  the  ma- 
jestic sidewise  motive  force  is  competent  to  the 
requirement,  and  so  it  was  found  to  be  when  the 
exigencies  of  the  divine  purpose  required  its  use  in 
giving  motions  to  all  the  worlds. 

Billiards. 

PBOPOSmON. 

Because  it  is  a  law  of  nature  that  the  perfect 
passivity  of  matter  permits  its  perfect  control  by 


Cffl 


BILLIARDS. 


the  will  and  force  of  the  mover,  the  motions  and 
directions  of  motions  of  billiard  balls,  nine-pin  balls, 
and  base  balls  are  all  determined  by  the  mode  of 
the  application  of  the  force. 

Corollary  1. — Hence  the  shots  and  directions  of 
the  motions  of  the  balls  which  are  caused  by  billiard 
players ;  and  those  fancy  shots  and  astonishing  di- 
rections of  motions  of  balls  determined  beforehand 
and  unerringly  executed  by  those  accomplished 
masters  of  the  art,  Messrs.  Dudley  Kavanagh, 
Michael  Phelan,  and  Claudius  Berger,  are  made  in 
the  most  strict  accordance  with  the  law  of  nature. 

Corollary  2. — If  the  motive  force  impinges  on  the 
billiard  ball  by  the  agency  of  a  mace,  the  ball  must 
move  forward  in  the  direction  of  a  right  line,  be- 
cause the  mace  force  is  the  same  in  nature  as  the 
cue  central  force.  But  in  every  cue  game  of  bil- 
liards nature  asserts  her  law  of  the  curvilinear  mo- 
tions of  globes ;  but  the  players,  knowing  nothing 
about  the  law,  they  concluded  they  had  violated 
the  received  laws  of  motions.  The  conclusion  was 
just,  but  only  so  because  the  received  laws  of  mo- 
tions were  a  rape  on  nature.  Emerge,  then,  from 
the  wilderness  of  false  philosophy,  and  in  the  sun- 
light of  truth  henceforth  know  that  the  employ- 
ment of  the  superior  and  inferior,  sidewise,  and 
oblique  forces  on  which  billiard  players  rely,  which 
never  fail  them  if  properly  applied,  are  so  i'ar  a 
faithful  exposition  of  natural  law  ! 

Corollary  3. — Billiard  players  have  been  mis- 
guided by  the  man-made  received  laws  of  motions, 
which,  like  the  idol  gods  of  paganism,  have  been 
put  in  the  place  of  the  true  law  of  nature. 

Gentlemen  of  the  game,  correct  your  opinions ; 
and  may  it  be  your  felicity  to  obey  the  laws  of  our 


FINALLY. 


God  and  Savior  as  perfectly  as  the  balls  you  play 
with  will  obey  the  natural  law  of  force  with  which 
you  impress  them,  for  they  will  always  in  their 
resulting  motions  move  in  perfect,  obedience  to 
the  law  of  nature,  the  violation  of  which,  so  far  as 
the  motions  of  globes  and  balls  are  concerned,  is 
absolutely  and  eternally  impossible. 

Finally. 

Because  it  is  a  grand  fact  and  law  of  nature  that 
any  conceivable  kind  of  direction  may  be  generated 
from  superior  and  inferior,  central,  and  sidewise 
forces,  a  globe  may  be  made  to  move  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  right  line  or  curve  line,  in  the  curvilinear 
direction  of  the  line  of  an  ellipse,  circle,  epicycle,  or 
spiral,  in  a  single  or  compound  motion.  But  the 
motions,  if  caused  in  free  space,  would  continue 
always,  and  be  more  perfect  than  when  executed  in 
the  air  or  on  a  smooth  plane. 

Because  the  motive  sidewise  force  is  sufficient  to 
account  for  every  known  motion  of  the  celestial 
bodies,  of  what  use  or  particular  need  is  there  to 
employ  a  plurality  of  motive  forces,  as  Newton  did, 
to  account  for  the  diurnal  and  yearly  revolutions 
of  the  celestial  spheres?  Only  think  of  my  one 
sidewise  force  to  take  the  place  of  Newton's  three 
forces  to  cause  the  axial  and  orbital  motions  of  a 
heavenly  body ! 

If,  after  this,  my  countrymen  doom  me  to  die 
unnoticed — Amen !  I  can  afford  to  wait  until  MY 
TIME  COMES  !  In  my  long  toil  to  open  the  way  to 
reveal  the  secrets  of  nature,  the  nature  of  the  con- 
flict sometimes  lashed  me  with  the  fury  of  disap- 
pointment, and  then,  bursting  in  upon  that  gloom, 
would  come  the  gushing  sunlight  of  hope.  At  one 


FINALLY. 


time  I  seemed  to  see  the  sons  of  science,  in  sullen 
mood,  treating  my  labors  with  the  go-by,  as  their 
fathers  had  treated  my  elder  brothers  in  innovation 
in  ages  past ;  and  anon,  there  passed  by  the  souls  of 
the  martyrs  of  science,  whose  immortal  sight  had 
been  entranced  by  the  vision  of  science  in  her  purity, 
and  they  pointed  to  the  crown  awaiting  the  man 
who  dared  to  run,  as  they  had,  the  gauntlet  of 
strife ;  and  coveting  to  be  numbered  with  them, 
I  tremblingly  advanced  toward  the  goal.  Once, 
wearied  almost  to  death,  the  whole  subject  appear- 
ed to  me  to  be  a  lonely  wild-goose  chase  and  the 
flying  birds  nowhere  in  view ;  and  then  there  came 
a  voice  from  the  excellent  glory,  saying,  Child,  go 
forward!  and  onward  I  moved  once  more.  This 
mixed  state  of  alternations  was  more  than  en- 
livened by  the  assurance  of  hope  that  the  wonder- 
ful and  glorious  success  of  leading  my  nation  in 
paths  of  knowledge  never  before  walked  in  by 
mortals  should  become  a  fact  made  out.  In  antici- 
pation, the  truth-smile  of  sixty  centuries  preluded 
the  voice  of  Nature  as  she  uttered :  Now  is  come 
the  time  when  mankind  learn  how  God  originated 
the  motions  of  the  celestial  spheres !  The  father  of 
the  theory  of  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes  lead- 
ing the  grand  procession  of  the  wise  men  of  the 
past,  the  children  of  science  born  since  his  day  pre- 
ceding, came  to  the  grand  banquet  of  triumph  in 
science,  and  shouted  :  Glory  to  the  God  of  nature, 
for  the  revelation  of  the  knowledge  of  his  works. 

I  heard  a  commotion  ;  it  was  the  stirring  of  my 
countrymen  to  annex,  by  right  of  discovery,  the 
cause  of  the  motions  of  every  celestial  orb  to  their 
mental  domain,  and  Americanize  the  universe.  The 
stars  from  every  part  of  the  sky  looked  on  the 


FINALLY. 


movement  in  glowing  delight,  and  those  star  gems 
on  the  outskirts  of  creation  waited  to  welcome  the 
joy ;  and  as  my  American  brethren  in  acclamation 
cried,  It  is  accomplished!  the  nationalities  of  the 
whole  earth  responded,  AMEN  ! 


A  NEW  RESOLUTION 


BY   COMMON    ARITHMETIC. 

ACCOMPANIED  WITH  AN 

if  %  ^rations  of  % 


DISPROOF  OF  THE  NEWTONIAN  THEORY 


BY   WM.    ISAACS    LOOMIS, 

Piermont,  Jtockland  Co.,  N.  T. 


T.  HOLMAN,  PRINTER,  CORNER  CENTRE  AND  WHITE  STREETS. 
1868. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868, 
BY  WM.  ISAACS  LOOMIS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


THOMAS 
Printer  and  Stereotyper. 


T  K  U  T  H  S. 


Proverbs,  Chapter  III.,  Verses  5,  6. 

1.  "  TRUST  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart ;  and 
lean  not  unto  thine  own  understanding.      In  all 
thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall  direct 
thy  paths." 

2.  Open  to  men  the  right  path,  aided  by  God- 
given    and    God-directed   reason,    and    then    the 
humblest  of  our  race  may  become  familiar  with 
the  works  of  God. 

A  comparison  of  my  manner  of  determining  the 
diameters  and  distances  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
with  others. 

T.  Dick's  rule  and  example  to  find  the  real 
diameter  of  the  moon  is  given  by  him  in  the  third 
volume  of  his  works,  on  p.  144  of  Celestial  Scenery : 

"  As  radius  :  is  to  C  G,  the  distance  of  the  moon, 
238,800  miles,  :  :  so  is  the  sine  of  A  C  G,  15'  43" : 
to  the  number  of  miles  contained  in  the  moon's 
semi-diameter,  AG=109l2,  which,  being  doubled, 
gives  2,183  miles  as  the  diameter  of  the  moon. 

2d  term— C  G=238,800— Log 5.378028 

3d  term— sine  of  A  C  G,  15'  43"  .  .       7.660059 


1st  term — radius. 


Semi-diameter  of  the  moon  1.0913= 

2 

2,183" 


13.038087 
10.000000 

3.038087 


PLANETARY  DISTANCE. — RULE. 


My  rule  and  example  to  find  in  the  fourth  term 
of  a  simple  proportion  the  real  diameter  of  the 
moon : 

As  the  angle  of  the  equatorial  horizontal  par- 
allax of  the  moon  57'  5"  :  is  to  her  apparent 
diameter  of  31'  26'' :  :  so  is  the  base  line  of  the 
parallax  3,963  miles  :  to  a  fourth  term  in  simple 
proportion  in  common  arithmetic  =  the  moon's 
real  diameter. 

Demonstration.  —  As  57'  5"  :  31'  26"  :  :  3,963 
miles  :  2,182  miles,  which  is  the  moon's  real  di- 
ameter. 

Planetary  Distance. 

After  the  manner  of  Kepler,  to  find  the  distance 
of  any  planet  from  the  sun. 

Rule. 

Divide  the  square  of  the  planet's  sidereal 
revolution  round  the  sun  by  the  square  of  the 
earth's  sidereal  revolution,  and  multiply  the  cube 
root  of  the  quotient  by  the  earth's  mean  distance 
from  the  sun.  In  the  use  of  this  rule  to  find  the 
distance  of  the  planet  Mercury  from  the  sun  by 
common  arithmetic,  or  by  logarithms,  Burritt, 
on  p.  160  of  his  Geography  of  the  Heavens,  says  : 
"He  need  not  think  himself  a  dull  scholar,  if  by 
the  former  method  he  comes  to  the  true  result  in 
FIVE  HOURS  ;  nor  remarkably  quick,  if  by  the  lat- 
ter he  comes  to  it  mfive  minutes." 

N.  B. — My  distance  of  Mercury  was  obtained  in 
less  than  five  minutes  by  common  arithmetic. 
(See  the  example  on  p.  93.) 


MOON'S  DISTANCE  BY  THE  AUTHOR'S  SYSTEM. 


T.  Dick's  Moon's  Distance  by  Logarithms. 

2d    term— 3,965— the    earth's    semi- 
diameter 3.598243 

3d  term — radius . .  10.000000 


13.598243 
1st  term— sine  of  57'  5"  ..  8.220215 


M  C,  distance  of  moon,  238,800  miles  =  5.378028 

Moon's  Distance  by  the  Author's  Method. 

As  the  angle  of  the  moon's  parallax  of  57'  5"  : 
is  to  the  circle  in  degrees  360°  :  :  so  is  the  base 
line  of  the  parallax  3,963  miles  :  to  the  circle  in 
miles  1,499,576,  the  semi-diameter  of  which  is 
238,665  miles,  which  is  the  moon's  mean  dis- 
tance from  the  earth.  (See  my  rules  on  diameters 
and  distances.) 

The  advantages  of  my  method  are  :  First,  brev- 
ity in  operation,  astonishingly  so,  in  finding  the 
diameters  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  Second,  inde- 
pendent of  a  knowledge  of  trigonometry  and  log- 
arithms, with  a  very  limited  knowledge  of  common 
arithmetic,  these  problems  to  find  the  diameters  and 
distances  of  the  heavenly  bodies  may  be  solved. 

Lest  any  should  stumble  because  my  results 
vary  somewhat  from  those  of  the  astronomers,  it 
may  not  be  amiss  to  notice  the  difference  between 
some  of  the  least  and  greatest  diameters  of  the 
planets  which  astronomers  have  assumed  to  be 
very  near  approximations  to  the  truth. 

Sir  John  W.  Herschel  makes  the  diameter  of 
Mercury  156  miles  more  than  Burritt  states  it  to 
be,  and  540  miles  more  than  Ferguson's  diameter. 
Between  Ferguson's  and  Bartlett's  estimates  of  the 


<gr 


88 


APPARENT  DIAMETERS. 


diameter  of  Venus  there  is  a  difference  of  530 
miles.  0.  M.  Mitchel's  value  of  Jupiter's  real 
diameter  is  11,164  miles  more  than  that  given  by 
Ferguson,  and  5,164  miles  more  than  Herschel's 
diameter.  E.  H.  Burritt's  computation  of  the  di- 
ameter of  Saturn  exceeds  Ferguson's  by  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  14,952  miles.  Sir  J.  TV.  Herschel 
estimated  the  diameter  of  Neptune  to  be  7,890 
miles  greater  than  0.  M.  Mitchel's  estimate. 

Diameters  of  Heavenly  Bodies. 
I  will  give  the  angles  or  arcs,  which  are  the 
measures  of  the  angles  of  certain  parallaxes  of 
heavenly  bodies,  their  apparent  diameters,  base 
line  of  the  parallaxes,  and  the  rule  to  determine 
their  real  diameters  by  simple  proportion. 


,     Moon's  angle  or  arc  of  parallax  .... 
Sun's                                     "       
Mercury's    "                       "       .... 
Venus'           '           "           "       .... 
Mars'                                    "       .... 
Jupiter's        '           "           "       .... 
Saturn's         '                       "       
Uranus'                                 "       .... 
Neptune's     "           "          "       
Apparent  Diameters. 
Moon's  apparent  diameter  

57'    5"             , 
8".6 
14" 
31" 
16" 
2" 
1" 

0".'2967 
31'  26" 

Sun's           "                        

32'  12".6 

Mercury's    "                        

11" 

Venus'         "                        

61".2 

Mars'           " 

Jupiter's      "                        

47" 

Saturn's       "                        

18" 

Uranus'        "                        

4" 

Neptune's    "                        

2".5 

• 
tk.  —  ,_^  —        —  ,.  

.»      ^ 

DEMONSTRATIONS. 


The  equatorial  semi-diameter  of  the  earth  is  the 
base  line  of  all  equatorial  horizontal  parallaxes, 
the  linear  measure  being  3,963  miles. 

Rule. 

As  the  angle  of  the  equatorial  horizontal  paral- 
lax of  a  heavenly  body  :  is  to  its  apparent  diame- 
ter :  :  so  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax  :  to  the 
real  diameter  of  the  heavenly  body. 

Demonstrations. 

DIAMETER   OP   THE    MOON. 

1.  As  the  angle  of  the  Moon's  paral- 

lax    57'  5" 

Is  to  her  apparent  diameter 31'  26"  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 
To  the  real  diameter  of  the  moon,    2,182  miles 

DIAMETER   OF   THE    SUN. 

2.  As  the  angle  of  the  Sun's  parallax,  8". 6 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 31'  12".6  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles 
To  the  real  diameter  of  the  sun. 890, 569  miles 

DIAMETER    OF    MERCURY. 

3.  As  the  angle  of  Mercury's  parallax,  14" 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 11"  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,9G3  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Mercury,  3,113  miles 

DIAMETER    OF   VENUS. 

4.  As  the  angle  of  Venus'  parallax,  31 '' 

Is  to  her  apparent  diameter 61".2  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3.963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Venus.. .  7,823  miles 


DEMONSTRATIONS. 


DIAMETER    OF    MARS. 

5.  As  the  angle  of  Mars'  parallax..  16" 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 16".61  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Mars ....  4,114  miles 

DIAMETER    OF  JUPITER. 

6.  As  the  angle  of  Jupiter's  parallax,  2" 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 47"  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Jupiter..  93,130  miles 

DIAMETER    OF  SATURN. 

7.  As  the  angle  of  Saturn's  parallax,  1" 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 18"  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Saturn. .  71,334  miles 

T 

DIAMETER    OF    URANUS. 

8.  As  the  angle  of  Uranus'  parallax,  0".4722 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 4"  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Uranus. .  33,571  miles 

DIAMETER    OF    NEPTUNE. 

9.  As  the  angle  of  Neptune's  parallax,  0".2967 

Is  to  his  apparent  diameter 2".5  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles 

To  the  real  diameter  of  Neptune,  33,392  miles 

BY   MY   METHOD. 

The  Moon's  real  diameter  is 2,182  miles 

"    Sun's        "  "          890,569     " 

Mercury's                                   3,113     " 

Venus'                                      7,823     " 

Mars'                "             "          4,114 


DISTANCES  OF  THE  PLANETS. 


Jupiter's  real  diameter  is  93,130  miles. 

Saturn's       "  "  71,334     " 

Uranus'        "  "  33,571     " 

Neptune's    "  33,392     " 

Distances  of  the  Planets. 

1.  The  sines  and  tangents  of  the  angles  of  the 
equatorial   horizontal   parallaxes  of  the  sun   and 
planets  differ  so  insensibly  from  each  other,  that, 
without  liability  to  error,  the  linear  measure  of  the 
arc  of  any  one  of  these  angles  may,  without  further 
labor,  be  assumed  to  be  the  same  as  the  linear 
measure  of  the  tangent  of  the  angle. 

2.  In  the  projection  of  an  equatorial  horizontal 
parallax  there  is  exhibited  a  right-angled  triangle, 
the  base  line  of  which  is  the  equatorial  semi-diame- 
ter of  the  earth,  and  its  perpendicular  leg  represents 
the  distance. 

3.  Because  the  perpendicular  leg  of  any  right- 
angled  triangle  is  the  semi-diameter  of  a  circle,  an 
arc  of  which  is  the  measure  of  the  angle  at  the  ver- 
tex, it  is  evident  that,  given  the  degree  and  linear 
measure  of  the  arc  of  the  angle,  the  perpendicular 
leg  of  any  right-angled  triangle  may  be  determined 
in  the  same  way  that  we  determine  the  semi-diame- 
ter of  a  circle,  given  the  degrees  and  linear  measure 
of  an  arc  of  a  circle  to  find  its  semi-diameter. 

Example. 

To  find  the  perpendicular  leg  of  a  right-angled 
triangle :  Given  the  angle  at  the  vertex  12°,  and 
the  linear  measure  of  the  arc  of  the  angle  12  inches. 

Demonstration— As  12° :  360° : :  12  inches  :  360 
lnches-*-3.U159==114.69-*-2=5ir.29  inches,  which 
is  the  linear  measure  of  the  required  leg. 


DEMONSTRATIONS. 


Tins  method  may  be  employed  to  find  the  dis- 
tances of  the  heavenly  bodies,  substituting  the 
linear  measure  of  the  base  line  of  the  parallax  for 
that  of  the  arc. 

Rule. 

As  the  angle  of  any  equatorial  horizontal  paral- 
lax :  is  to  the  circle  in  degrees :  :  so  is  the  linear 
measure  of  the  base  line  of  the  parallax :  to  the 
linear  measure  of  the  circle,  the  semi- diameter  of 
which  is  the  perpendicular  leg  of  the  right-angled 
triangle  of  the  parallax. 

Demonstrations. 

DISTANCE    OF   THE   MOON. 

1.  As  the  angle  of  the  Moon's  parallax,  57'  5"  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,     3,963  miles : 
To   the   circle    in   miles   1,499,576-^-3.14159= 

477,330-^2=238,665  miles,  which  is  the  moon's 
mean  distance. 

DISTANCE   OF   THE   SUN. 

2.  As  the  angle  of  the  Sun's  parallax,  8". 6  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 3GO°  :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles,  597,214:853.7209313^- 

3.1415926=190,099,404,  which  is  the  diameter  of 
the  earth's  orbit,  -^2=95,049, 702  miles,  the  linear 
measure  of  the  perpendicular  leg  of  the  right-angled 
triangle  projected  in  the  sun's  equatorial  horizontal 
parallax,  and  is  the  mean  distance  of  the  sun  from 
the  earth. 


DEMONSTRATIONS. 


DISTANCE   OF   MERCURY. 

3.  As  the  angle  of  Mercury's  parallax,  14"  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  366,860,571.4285714,  the 

semi-diameter  of  which  is  58,387,674  miles,  and  is 
the  distance  of  Mercury  from  the  earth  at  the  time 
of  his  inferior  conjunction.  Subtract  this  distance 
of  the  planet  from  the  earth  from  the  earth's  mean 
distance  from  the  sun,  and  the  remainder,  36,662,028 
miles,  is  Mercury's  distance  from  the  sun. 

DISTANCE   OF   VENUS. 

4.  As  the  angle  of  Venus'  parallax,  31"  ' 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :: 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,     3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  165,678,967.7419354,  the 

semi-diameter  of  which  is  26,368,627,  and  is  the 
distance  of  Yenus  from  the  earth  at  the  time  of  her 
inferior  conjunction.  Subtract  this  distance  of  the 
planet  from  the  earth  from  the  earth's  mean  dis- 
tance from  the  sun,  and  the  remainder,  68,681,075 
miles,  is  the  distance  of  Venus  from  the  sun. 

DISTANCE  OF    MARS. 

5.  As  the  angle  of  Mars'  parallax  . .  16"  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  321,003,000.0000000,  the 

semi-diameter  of  which  is  51,089,215  miles,  and  is 
the  distance  of  Mars  from  the  earth  at  the  time  of 
his  opposition.  Add  this  distance  of  the  planet 
from  the  earth  to  the  earth's  mean  distance  from 
the  sun,  and  the  sum  146,138,917  miles  is  the  dis- 
tance of  Mars  from  the  sun. 


94  DEMONSTRATIONS. 

I 

DISTANCE    OF   JUPITER. 

6.  As  the  angle  of  Jupiter's  parallax,  2"  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360°  :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  2,568,024,000.0000000, 

the  semi-diameter  of  which  is  408,713,720  miles, 
and  is  the  distance  of  Jupiter  from  the  earth  at  the 
time  of  his  opposition.  Add  this  distance  of  the 
planet  from  the  earth  to  the  earth's  mean  distance 
from  the  sun,  and  the  sum,  503,763,422  miles,  is  the 
distance  of  Jupiter  from  the  sun. 

DISTANCE    OF    SATURN. 

7.  As  the  angle  of  Saturn's  parallax,  1"  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  51,360,480,000.0000000, 

the  semi-diameter  of  which  is  817,427,425  miles, 
and  is  the  distance  of  Saturn  from  the  earth  at  the 
time  of  his  opposition.  Add  this  distance  of  the 
planet  to  the  earth's  mean  distance  from  the  sun, 
and  the  sum  912,477,123  miles  is  the  distance  of 
Saturn  from  the  sun. 

DISTANCE   OF   URANUS. 

8.  As  the  angle  of  the  parallax  of 

Uranus 0".4722  : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :: 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,    3,963  miles : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  10,876,848,793.0000000, 
the  semi-diameter  of  which  is  1,731,105,871  miles, 
and  is  the  distance  of  Uranus  from  the  earth  at  the 
time  of  his  opposition.     Add  this  distance  of  the 


$i^ 


SOLAR  DISTANCES  OP  THE  PLANETS. 


planet  from  the  earth  to  the  earth's  mean  distance 
from  the  sun,  and  the  sum,  1,826,155,573  miles,  is 
the  distance  of  Uranus  from  the  sun. 

DISTANCE    OP   NEPTUNE. 

9.  As  the  angle  of  the  parallax  of 

Neptune 0".2967 : 

Is  to  the  circle  in  degrees 360° :  : 

So  is  the  base  line  of  the  parallax,  3,963  miles  : 
To  the  circle  in  miles  17,310,576,339.7371028, 
the  semi-diameter  of  which  is  2,755,063,855  miles, 
and  is  the  distance  of  Neptune  from  the  earth  at 
the  time  of  his  opposition.  Add  this  distance  of 
the  planet  from  the  earth  to  the  earth's  mean  dis- 
tance from  the  sun,  and  the  sum,  2,850,113,557 
miles,  is  the  distance  of  Neptune  from  the  sun. 

Solar  Distances  of  the  Planets. 


Mercury's  solar  distance 

Venus' 

Earth's 

Mars' 

Jupiter's 

Saturn's 

Uranus' 

Neptune's 


36,662,028  miles. 

63,681,075 

95,049,702 

146,138,917 

503,763,422 

912,477,123 

1,826,155,573 

2,850,113,557 


The  distances  of  the  heavenly  bodies  may  be 
found  by  Division.  I  will  exhibit  two  examples. 

Rule. 

Divide  the  linear  measure  of  the  tangent  of  the 
angle  of  the  parallax  by  the  circular  measure  of 
the  arc  of  the  parallax,  and  the  quotient  will  be 
the  term  required. 


DISTANCE  OF  THE  SUN  BY  DIVISION. 


Distance  of  the  Moon  by  Division. 

1.  The  circular  measure  to  seven  places  of  deci- 
mals of  the  arc  of  the  angle  of  the  moon's  parallax 
of  57' 5"  is  0166048. 

2.  The  linear  measure  of  the  tangent  of  the  angle 
of  the   parallax,  with   seven   ciphers   annexed,   is 
3,963.0000000. 

Demonstration  by  Division. —  3,963.0000000+- 
0166048=238,665  miles,  which  is  the  moon's  mean 
distance. 

Distance  of  the  Sun  by  Division. 

1.  The    circular    measure   to   twelve  places   of 
decimals  of  the  arc  of  the  angle  of  the  sun's  paral- 
lax of  8".6,  is  000041693976. 

2.  The    linear  measure  of  the   tangent  of  the 
angle  of  the  parallax,  with  twelve  ciphers  annexed, 
is  3,963.000000000000. 

Demonstration  by  Division.— 3,963.000000000000 
-4-000041693976=95,049,702  miles,  which  is  the 
sun's  mean  distance.  Compare  these  results  with 
the  mean  distances  of  the  sun  and  moon,  found  by 
a  different  process  on  p.  92. 

1.  I  have  demonstrated  how  to  find  the  diameter 
of  any  one  of  the  heavenly  bodies  in  the  fourth 
term  of  a  single  proportion. 

2.  I  have  shown  how  to  determine  the  linear 
measure  of  the  perpendicular  leg  of  a  right-angled 
triangle    in   the    same  way  employed   to   find   the 
semi-diameter  of  a  circle,  thus  bringing  within  the 
reach   of  all  a  way  to  find  the   distances  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  by  common  arithmetic. 

3.  By  a  very  simple  process  in  Division,  I  have 
resolved  the  distances  indicated  by  the  parallaxes  of 
the  moon  and  sun. 


THE  STABS  ARE  WITHOUT  PARALLAX. 


Circular  Measure. 

A  circle,  whose  radius  is  unity,  the  circular 
measure  of  its  circumference  retaining  twelve 
places  of  decimals,  is  6.283185307179—360°. 

The  circular  measure  of  an  arc  of  one  degree  is 
0.017453292519. 

The  circular  measure  of  an  arc  of  one  minute  of 
a  degree  is  0.000290888208.  The  circular  meas- 
ure of  the  arc  of  the  parallax  of  any  one  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  may  be  found,  and  the  distance 
indicated  by  the  parallax  be  determined  by  divi- 
sion, as  in  the  given  examples. 

My  ambition  in  this  department  of  science  is 
satisfied.  I  had  most  earnestly  desired,  longed 
for,  and  labored  to  bring  the  solutions  of  these 
astronomical  problems  within  the  reach  of  all  who 
understand  common  arithmetic.  Having  accom- 
plished this,  I  leave  it  to  others  to  extend,  by  a 
little  modification  of  my  rule,  the  principle  of  find- 
ing the  unknown  perpendicular  leg  of  any  right- 
angled  triangle,  the  linear  measures  of  whose  sine, 
arc,  and  tangent  disagree  in  consequence  of  the 
largeness  of  the  angle. 

The  Stars  are  without  Parallax. 

A  near  and  fixed  object  will  suffer  no  apparent 
displacement  when  viewed  from  a  mere  point  (like 
it  would  if  viewed  from  the  extremities  of  a  line)  ; 
and  ten  or  ten  thousand  observations  from  the 
same  point  would  all  be  in  the  line  of  the  visual 
ray  of  the  first  observation.  So  it  is  in  all  observa- 
tions made  to  determine  stellar  parallaxes.  They 
are  all  in  the  line  of  the  same  visual  ray  that  was 
first  directed  to  a  star  to  find  its  distance,  and, 


THE  STARS  AEE  WITHOUT  PARALLAX. 


therefore,  for  the  want  of  a  line  whose  longitude 
would  subtend  an  appreciable  angle,  the  stars  are 
of  necessity  without  appreciable  parallax. 

1.  On  p.  6,  I  have  given  the  resulting  distance 
of  a  star's  annual  parallax  of  1"  of  a  degree.     The 
assumption  shows  that  the  distance  to  the  nearest 
star  can  not  be  less  than  nearly  forty  trillions  of 
miles,  and  how  much  further  who  can  tell,  for  the 
stars,  as  it  respects  the  annual  motion  of  the  earth, 
are    without   variableness,    having   no   shadow  of 
turning. 

2.  The  whole  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit,   if 
compared  with  the   line  of  a  star's  distance,  is  a 
mere  point ;  but  the   astronomers  make  the  base 
line  of  their  annual  parallaxes  but  one-half  of  the 
diameter  of  the  orbit  of  the  earth,  and  consequent- 
ly but  half  a  point.      Now  a  mere  point  is  without 
length,  breadth,  or  thickness,  being  without  assign- 
able  quantity  ;  and  strange   that  but  half  of  an 
unassignable  quantity  is  the  chosen  base   line   of 
the   astronomers.      This  being  so  relatively  true, 
the  marvels  of  the  astronomers'  parallaxes  of  the 
stars,  if  true,  involve  a  greater  marvel,  that,  from 
a  series  of  observations  made  from  the  extremities 
of  but  half  a  point,  certain  stars  have  been  found 
to  have   a  very  appreciable  quantity  of  parallax 
in  angular  measurements,  varying  from  0".046  to 
0".915. 

3.  That  the  assertion,  "the  whole  diameter  of  the 
earth's  orbit,  when  compared  with  the  distance  of 
a  star,  dwindles  to  a  mere  point, "may  be  implicitly 
received  as  true,  Burritt  says:   "The  whole    di- 
ameter of  the  orbit  of  Saturn  (1,824,915, 246  miles) 
is  no  thicker  than  a  spider's  web  when  compared 
with  the  distance  of  the  stars." 


THE  EXAMINATION. 


The  Examination. 

From  what  I  have  written,  before  I  presented 
this  portion  of  my  work  to  be  thought  of  by  men, 
there  can  be  :  First,  no  mutual  gravitation  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  among  themselves.  Second,  for 
the  want  of  this  mutual  gravitation  of  the  celestial 
spheres,  the  theory  of  the  precession  of  the  equi- 
noxes is  without  the  ratification  of  nature.  Third, 
the  time  and  revolution  of  the  sidereal  year  of  the 
sun  is  baseless.  Fourth,  by  the  testimony  of  na- 
ture I  will  be  able  to  establish  the  fact,  that  our 
earth,  which  is  an  oblate  spheroid,  revolves  around 
the  sun  after  the  manner  of  a  homogeneous  and 
perfect  sphere  revolving  around  the  sun,  the  den- 
sity of  its  matter  not  affected  by  the  force  of  its 
axial  rotation,  fifth,  the  variations  of  the  astron- 
omers are  wonderful ;  and  that  the  disciples  of 
Newton,  who  are  among  the  most  highly  gifted  of 
the  sons  of  earth,  should  have  been  so  much  out  of 
the  way,  affords  cause  for  a  deliberate  inquiry  : 
What  is  truth  ? 

But  before  we  engage  further  in  the  grand  con- 
flict, it  will,  without  doubt,  be  pleasant  to  my 
readers  to  know  that  the  system  of  astronomy 
which  originated  with  Copernicus  was  enlarged 
and  improved  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  and  expound- 
ed, to  the  wondering  delight  of  intelligent  men  and 
women,  from  age  to  age,  is,  by  its  friends  and 
admirers,  thought  to  be  unimpeachable,  and  its 
collections  of  dogmas  synonymous  with  a  collection 
of  the  facts  of  nature.  The  words  of  Ferguson, 
Herschel,  and  Dick  will  best  set  forth  their  views. 

1.  In  Ferguson's  Astronomy,  p.  41,  he  says : 
"Sir  Isaac  Newton  has  established  this  system  on 
such  an  everlasting  foundation  of  mathematical 


PRECESSION  OF  THE  EQUINOCTIAL  POINTS. 

and  physical  demonstration  as  never  can  be  shaken, 
and  none  who  understand  him  will  hesitate  about 
it." 

2.  Herschel,  in  his  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  p.  19, 
says  :  "  There  is  now  no  danger  of  any  revolution 
in  astronomy  like  those  which  are  daily  changing 
the  features  of  the  less  advanced  sciences." 

3.  In  Dick's  works,  Yol.  III.,  p.  25,  he  says  : 
"The   system   broached  by  Copernicus,   notwith- 
standing   much    opposition,    soon   made    its   way 
among  the  learned  in  Europe.     It  was  afterward 
powerfully  supported  by  the  observations  and  rea- 
sonings of  Galileo,  Kepler,  Halley,    Newton,   La 
Place,  and  other  celebrated  philosophers,  and  now 
rests  on  a  foundation  firm  and  immutable  as  the 
laws  of  the  universe." 

Now,  not  believing  that  the  shaking  of  the 
Copernican  system  of  astronomy  is  the  same  as 
shaking  the  true  facts  of  nature,  I  advance  in  my 
work,  and  hope,  as  I  have  often  prayed  on  this 
subject,  to  aim  for  the  right  way  and  the  gain  of 
the  truth,  and  God  defend  and  prosper  me. 

"  Precession  of  the  Equinoctial  Points." 

PROPOSITION. 

Through  the  earth's  annual  motion  round  the 
sun,  the  stars  seen  from  our  earth  do  not  change 
their  points  of  rising,  and  the  theory  of  the  preces- 
sion of  the  equinoxes  teaching  they  do,  the  tes- 
timony of  nature  is  to  be  accepted ;  and  as  such  a 
phenomenon  could  only  arise  from  the  fact  of  the 
iarth  preserving  the  invariability  of  its  equinoctial 
points,  I  infer  from  this  testimony  of  nature  that 
there  is  nothing  in  nature  to  warrant  the  conclu- 


THE  PSEUDO  SIDEREAL  YEAR  OF  THE  SUN. 

sion  that  the  equinoctial  points  fall  back,  there  is 
no  "regress  of  the  earth's  nodes." 

The  amount  of  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes  is 
said  to  be  50".l  of  a  degree  every  year  ;  and  were 
the  theory  as  much  a  fact  of  nature  as  it  is  supposed 
to  be  by  learned  astronomers,  the  stars  would 
change  their  points  of  rising  50".l  of  a  degree  every 
year ;  and  a  star,  which  in  A.  D.  1858  rose  in  the 
plane  of  the  celestial  equator,  would  in  A.  D.  1868 
rise  8'  21"  east  of  the  celestial  equator.  But  a  star, 
and  all  stars  which  this  year  describe  the  circle  of 
the  celestial  equator,  and  circles  parallel  to  and 
declining  to  either  side  of  it,  describe  the  same  di- 
urnal circles  which  they  appeared  to  do  last  year, 
or  ten  years  ago.  This  unanimous  verdict  of  the 
invariability  of  the  whole  starry  host,  is  nature's 
decisive  refutation  of  the  theory  of  the  precession 
of  the  equinoxes. 

The  Pseudo  Sidereal  Year  of  the  Sun. 

Webster,  under  the  word  year  : — "  Sidereal  year; 
the  time  in  which  the  sun,  departing  from  any  fixed 
star,  returns  to  the  same.  This  is  365  days,  6 
hours,  9  minutes,  9.6  seconds." 

The  astronomers  and  lexicographers  are  unani- 
mous in  their  opinions  as  to  the  time  and  existence 
of  their  sidereal  year  of  the  sun,  but  the  times  of  the 
real  and  apparent  revolutions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  fully  demonstrate  the  fallacy  of  the  so-called 
"  sun's  sidereal  year."  At  a  time  when  the  centres 
of  the  earth,  sun,  and  a  star  are  in  a  straight  line, 
let  the  time  and  revolution  of  the  apparent  yearly 
sun  begin  by  the  star,  and  because  of  the  apparent 
diurnal  motion  of  the  stars  in  the  time  of  2,S  hours, 
56  minutes,  4.09  seconds,  at  the  close  of  the  time 
of  the  yearly  revolution,  when  the  centres  of  the 


THE  CAUSE  OP  KEPLER'S  FAILURE. 


earth,  sun,  and  star  should  be  in  the  same  straight 
line,  the  star  will  be  advanced  92°  +  beyond  the  line. 
Hence,  because  the  time  of  the  astronomers'  sidereal 
year  of  the  sun  is  not  a  multiple  of  the  time  of  the 
apparent  diurnal  revolutions  of  the  stars,  their 
sidereal  year  of  the  sun  exists  not  in  nature. 

The  Pseudo  Sidereal  Revolution  of  the  Earth. 

Because  the  stars  have  apparent  diurnal  motion, 
and  the  time  of  the  yearly  revolution  of  the  earth 
is  not  a  multiple  of  the  time  of  the  diurnal  revolu- 
tions of  the  stars  ;  all  revolutions  of  heavenly  bodies 
based  on  a  fixed  star  are  false. 

In  Herschel's  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  p.  202,  he 
says  :  "  The  annual  retreat  of  the  equinox  is  50".l, 
and  this  arc  is  described  by  the  sun  in  the  ecliptic 
in  20  minutes,  19.9  seconds.  By  so  much  shorter 
is  the  periodical  return  of  our  seasons,  than  the 
true  sidereal  revolution  of  the  earth  round  the  sun." 

But  the  earth  does  not  set  out  from  a  star  in  its 
journey  round  the  sun ;  the  effect  on  the  stars  be- 
ing the  same  as  if  the  orbital  motion  had  no  exist- 
ence, and  therefore  Herschel's  "true  sidereal  revo- 
lution of  the  earth  round  the  sun"  is  nothing  more 
than  his  aberration  from  the  facts  of  nature. 

The  Cause  of  Kepler's  Failure. 

It  is  known  to  all  informed,  that  the  sun  and 
stars  have  perpetual  apparent  motions.  When 
Kepler  set  about  to  found  his  sidereal  revolutions 
of  the  planets,  he  excluded  from  his  calculations 
the  perpetual  apparent  diurnal  motion  of  the  stars, 
assumed  their  fixedness,  and  then  from  a  fixed  star 
laid  the  foundation  for  his  sidereal  revolutions  of 
the  planets.  This  exclusion  of  the  apparent  motion 
of  the  stars  led  to  a  false  system  ;  and  being  con- 


r 


VARIATIONS  OP  THE  ASTRONOMERS. 


trary  to  nature,  the  revolutions  must  be  also  con- 
trary to  nature,  having  no  place  but  in  the  assump- 
tion. Therefore,  when  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  in  his 
Principia,  p.  388,  says,  "The  periodic  times  with 
respect  to  the  fixed  stars,"  he  is  perpetually  contra- 
dicted by  the  perpetual  apparent  motion  of  every 
star  in  the  celestial  sphere. 

Variations  of  the  Astronomers. 

1.  T.  Dick  says:  "The  effect  of  the  regress  of 
the  equinoctial   points,   is  to  cause    an   apparent 
revolution  of  the  stars  around  the   poles  of  the 
ecliptic." 

2.  Mattison,  in  his  High  School  Astronomy,  p.  70, 
says:  "The  distant  stars  have  no  motion,  real  or 
apparent,  around  the  poles  of  the  ecliptic." 

3.  The    reader   will    observe,    that   what    Dick 
affirms,  Mattison  denies. 

4.  Burritt's  Geography  of  the  Heavens,  p.   29, 
says:  "In  consequence  of  the  motion  of  the  earth 
eastward  in  its  orbit,  the  stars  appear  to  have  a 
motion  westward." 

5.  Mitchel's  Popular  Astronomy,  p.  77,  on  the 
orbital    motion    of   the    earth,    says :     ' '  Now   the 
earth's  centre  in  the  space  of  one  day  and  night, 
or    during    one    rotation,    actually    passes    over 
2,000,000  of  miles  ;  and  it  would  seem  as  though 
this  change  of  position  would  sensibly  affect  the 
return  of  our  star  to  the  meridian ;  but  such  is  the 
vast  distance  of  the  stars,  that  visual  rays  sent  to 
the  same  star  from  the  extremities  of  a  base  line  of 
2,000,000  of  miles  in  length,  are  absolutely  paral- 
lel under  the  most  searching  instrumental  scrutiny 
that  man  has  been  able  to  make." 

6.  What  Burritt  affirms,  Mitchel  denies. 


104  VAPJATIONS  OF  THE  ASTRONOMERS. 

7.  "Webster,  in  his  Spelling  Book,  p.  144,  says : 
"The  earth  turns  every  part  of  its  surface  to  the 
sun  once  in  twenty-four  hours."    Suppose  Webster 
to  have  opened  a  school  among  the  Indians  of  the 
far  north,  who  had  not  seen  the  sun  for  more  than 
a  month.     He  informs  his  pupils  that  the  learning 
of  centuries  has  culminated  in  demonstrating  the 
fact  of  the  earth  turning  every  part  of  its  surface 
to  the  sun  once  in  twenty-four  hours.     After  such 
an  announcement,  who  of  the  company  would  ap- 
pear to  be  the  most  stupid — the  great  American 
lexicographer,  or  his  pupils  ?     They  might  inquire 
what  earth  is  meant ;  for  surely  this  part,  occupied 
by  us,  has  not  seen  a  ray  of  the  sun  for  more  than 
thirty  times  twenty-four  hours.     Contrary  to  this, 
the  earth  turns  every  part  of  its  surface  to  the  sun 
once  in  the  time  of  365   solar  days,  5  hours,  48 
minutes,  48  seconds,  and  as  is  the  difference  be- 
tween the  time  of  a  solar  day  and  solar  year ;  so 
great  is  the  mistake  of  Webster. 

8.  Burritt  teaches  :  "The  earth  moves  eastward 
in  its  journey  round  the  sun." 

9.  Dr.  T.  P.  Jones,  in  his  Conversations  on  Natu- 
ral Philosophy,  p.  105,  says:  "The   earth  moves 
westward  in  its  journey  round  the  sun." 

10.  In  the  mental  romp  led  on  by  Humboldt,  in 
his  Cosmos,  Yol.  I.,  p.  88,  he  says  :  "  Light  travels 
one  distance  of  Sirius  in  three  years." 

11.  Peters  says  :  "The  distance  of  Sirius  from 
the  earth  is  so  great,  that  the  time  required  for  its 
light  to  reach  us  is  fifteen  years." 

12.  MitcheFs   Planetary  and  Stellar   Worlds,  p. 
211,  says:  "Stars  of  the  first  magnitude  send  us 
their  light  in  about  seventeen  years."     Among  the 
stars  of  the  first  magnitude  Sirius  is  numbered. 


VARIATIONS  OP  THE  ASTRONOMERS, 


13.  "Henderson  reached  the  conclusion,  in  his 
observations  on  Sirius,  that  it  required  twenty-one 
years  and  nine  months  for  the  light  of  that  star  to 
reach  the  earth." 

14.  From    among   the    big   thoughts   I    select : 
"Huyghens   assumed   the   intrinsic  brightness   of 
Sirius  to  equal  the  sun." 

15.  0.  M.  Mitchel  says  :  "  Sirius  is  the  brightest 
and  probably  the  largest  of  the  fixed  stars,  with  a 
diameter  of  more  than  a  million  of  miles." 

16.  Wollaston  says :  "  Sirius  is  equal  to  sixty- 
three  suns." 

17.  Humboldt  says  :  "Arcturus  is  equal  to  1,331 
suns." 

18.  Herschel  says:  "The  star  Vega  in  Lyra  is 
thirty-eight  times  the  diameter  of  the  sun,  and  its 
solid  contents  57,872  times  greater." 

19.  Mattison   outdoes   these    liliputian   calcula- 
tions by  saying  :  "  The  star  61  in  the  Swan  is  esti- 
mated to  be   200,000,000  of  miles  in  diameter." 
Not  far  from  being  10,000,000  times  larger  than 
the  sun. 

20.  In  Humboldt's  Cosmos,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  120,  on 
the  sidereal  revolutions  of  the  planets,  he  says : 
"  During  such  a  revolution  a  planet  passes  through 
exactly  360°  in  its  course  round  the  sun ;"  and  in 
this  conclusion  all  astronomers  rest. 

21.  In   Webster's    Dictionary,  under   "  Tropical 
Year, — The  period  occupied  by  the  sun  in  passing 
from  one  tropic,  or  one  equinox,  to  the  other.     On 
account  of  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes,  it  is 
20  minutes,  20  seconds,  shorter  than  the  sidereal 
year  ;"  and  in  arc,   according  to   Herschel,  50". 1 
of  a  degree  less  than  360Q.     In  this  difference  all 
the  astronomers  are  agreed. 


VAEIATIONS  OF  THE  ASTRONOMERS. 


22.  The  difference  among  the  advocates  of  the 
sidereal  and  tropical  revolutions  of  the  sun  is  not 
calculated  to  produce  a  conviction  of  the  infallible 
nature  of  their  science,  as  will  be  made  to  appear, 
in  that  Ferguson  and  Burritt  give  to  the  apparent 
sun  the  same  number  of  degrees  in  his  tropical 
revolution  that  is  given  by  Kepler,  Newton,  and 
Humboldt  to  a  planet  or  the  sun  in  their  sidereal 
revolutions. 

23.  In  Ferguson's  Astronomy,  p.  152,  he  says  : 
"The  sun  describes  the  whole  ecliptic,  or  3609  in 
a  tropical  year."     It  should  be  50".l  of  a  degree 
less  than  360°. 

24.  In  Burritt's  Geography  of  the  Heavens,  Part 
II.,  p.  114,  he  says  :  "The  sun  describes  the  whole 
ecliptic,  or  360°,  in  a  tropical  year."     It  should  be 
50".l  less  than  360°.     Thus  confounding  .the  side- 
real  and  tropical  revolutions  in  degree.      If  the 
science  had  been  true,  the  advocates  were  in  these 
things  mistaken,  for  the  tropical  revolution  in  de- 
gree  should  be  50".l   of  a  degree  less  than  the 
sidereal    revolution ;    but    they  were   engaged   in 
expounding  a  mere  theory,  as  is  abundantly  evi- 
denced by  the  variations  adduced. 

25.  As  there  is  no  two  returns  of  the  centre  of 
the  sun  or  that  of  the  earth  to  the  same  fixed  star 
in  the  time  in  which  the  earth  passes  through  ex- 
actly 300°  of  orbital  revolution,  the  sidereal,  trop- 
ical, and  equinoctial  revolutions  of  the  astronomers 
in  time  and  degrees  are  confusion  ;  and  their  con- 
founding the  tropical  and  sidereal  revolutions  with 
each  other  in  degree  gives  no  illumination  to  their 
infallible  scheme,  which  they  supposed  consisted  of 
a  transcript  of  the  facts  of  nature. 


J3) 


PARALLELISM  OF  THE  EARTH'S  AXIS. 


Parallelism  of  the  Earth's  Axis. 

1.  The  earth  is  an  oblate  spheroid,  and  being 
carried  around  the  sun  by  the  effect  of  an  original 
sidewise  impulse,   and  not  by  the  sun's  assumed 
attraction,  revolves  as  if  it  were   a  homogeneous 
and  perfect  sphere,  maintaining  the  invariability  of 
its  equinoctial  points  and   the    constancy  of  the 
poles  of  the  heavens. 

2.  The  line  of  the  earth's  axis  prolonged  to  the 
sphere   of  the   stars  is  the   axis  of  the  heavens, 
around  which  the  stars  appear  to  revolve  ;  and  in 
whatever  part  of  its  orbit  the  earth  may  be  in,  at 
either  solstice  or  equinoctial  point,  the  axis  of  the 
earth  will  coincide  with  the  axis  of  the  heavens. 

3.  To  this  definition  Herschel  rigidly  adheres  in 
his  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  p.  192,  for  he  says:  "In 
this  annual  motion  of  the  earth  its  axis  preserves 
at  all  times  the  same  direction,  as  if  the  orbital 
motion  had  no   existence,   and  is   carried   around 
parallel  to  itself,  and  pointing  always  to  the  same 
vanishing  point  in  the  sphere  of  the  fixed  stars." 

4.  From  this  absolute  parallelism  Herschel,  not 
nature,  departs   in   his   Outlines  of  Astronomy,  p. 
172.     He  says  :   "  It  is  found,  then,  that,  in  virtue 
of  the  uniform  part  of  the  motion  of  the  pole,  it 
describes  a  circle  in  the  heavens  around  the  pole  of 
the  ecliptic  as  a  centre,  keeping  constantly  at  the 
same  distance   of  23°  28'  from  it,  in  a  direction 
from  east  to  west,  and  with  such  a  velocity  that 
the  angle   described  by  it  in  this,   its  imaginary 
orbit,  is  50".10." 

5.  In  Herschel's  Treatise  on  Astronomy,   third 
edition,  p.  169,  he  says:   "The  bright  star  of  the 
Lesser  Bear,  which  we  call  the  Pole  Star,  has  not 
always  been,  nor  will  always  continue  to  be,  our 


108  PARALLELISM  OF  THE  EARTH'S  AXIS. 

cynosure  ;  at  the  time  of  the  earliest  catalogues  it 
was  12°  from  the  pole ;  it  is  now  (1835,  date  of  the 
edition)  only  1°  24',  and  will  approach  yet  nearer." 

6.  For  the  next  twenty-four  years  the  distance 
remained  constant ;  for  in  Herschel's   Outlines  of 
Astronomy,  fourth  edition,  p.  173,  he  says:  "The 
bright  star  of  the  Lesser  Bear,  which  we  call  the 
Pole  Star,  has  not  always  been,  nor  will  always  con- 
tinue to  be,  our  cynosure ;  at  the  time  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  earliest  catalogues  it  was  12°  from 
the  pole ;  it  is  now  (1859,  date  of  the  edition)  only 
1°  24',  and  will  approach  yet  nearer."    So  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  statements  of  Herschel,   from  the 
time  of  the  earliest  catalogues  to   1835  the   dis- 
tance  between  the  pole   of  the  heavens  and  the 
bright  star  of  the  Lesser  Bear  was  diminished  10° 
3b'  by  a  constant  departure  of  the  earth's  axis  from 
its  parellelism.     But  from  1835  to  1859  the  clis- 
tance  was  the  same,  preserving  the  parellelism  of 
the  earth's  axis  for  a  period  of  twenty-four  years. 

7.  In  Rollin's  Ancient  History,  Book  I.,  p.  141, 
he  says  :  "The  poles  of  the  heavens  have  remained 
the  same  for  a  period  of  three  thousand  years." 

8.  Ilerschel  teaches  that  the  poles  of  the  heavens 
go  forward,  as  an  effect  of  the  precession  of  the 
equinoxes. 

9.  Ferguson,  in  his  Astronomy  Explained  on  the 
Principles  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  says :    ' '  The   poles 
of  the  heavens,  as  an  effect  of  the  precession  of  the 
equinoxes,  fall  backward."     Place  these  extremely 
opposite  motions  of  the  same  pole  of  the  heavens 
along  side  of  Burritt  and  Jones's  opposite  motions 
of  the  earth,  and  the  faith  and  reason  which  will 
comprehend  how  the  earth  can  move   backward 
and  forward  in  its  orbit  at  the  same  time  will  have 


PROPOSITION. — HYPOTHESIS.  109 

no  trouble  in  explaining  how  the  motion  of  the 
poles  of  the  heavens  can,  at  the  same  time,  be  in- 
variable, and  in  motion,  in  opposite  directions. 

Proposition. 

The  earth  revolves  around  the  sun  the  same  as  if 
it  were  a  homogeneous  and  perfect  sphere.  If  the 
Newtonian  law  of  universal  gravitation,  admitted, 
as  we  will  see  subsequently,  to  be  the  weakest  of 
all  forces  of  attraction,  the  superior  forces  of  the 
motion  of  the  heavenly  spheres  would  absolve  them 
from  all  allegiance  to  the  sun's  attraction.  For  the 
better  understanding  of  the  argument,  I  am  willing 
to  admit  the  existence  of  all  Newton  claimed  for 
his  discovery,  and  then  show  that  the  mutual  at- 
tractions of  every  atom  of  matter,  and  of  the  mass 
of  every  sphere,  tends  to  a  perfet  equilibrium. 

Hypothesis. 

Suppose  a  homogeneous  and  perfect  sphere,  of  a 
consistence  not  to  be  molded  into  the  form  of  an 
oblate  spheroid  as  an  effect  of  axial  rotation,  of  the 
size  of  the  earth  as  nearly  as  may  be,  revolving 
around  the  sun  as  an  effect  of  the  assumed  attrac- 
tion of  gravitation  of  the  sun. 

According  to  Newton,  there  being  no  redundant 
matter  gathered  at  the  equator  of  such  a  globe,  its 
nodes  will  not  regress,  and  its  axial  rotation  will  not 
be  acted  on  by  centripetal  force,  as  is  the  case  with 
an  oblate  spheroid. 

1 .  Seen  from  the  surface  of  such  a  globe  follow- 
ing the  earth  round  the   sun,  during  the  time  of 
one  or  one  hundred  orbital  revolutions,  the  stars 
will  preserve  the  invariability  of  their   points  of 
rising,  culminating,  and  setting. 

2.  It  is  identically  so  with  the  stars  seen  from 


110  HYPOTHESIS. 


our  earth.  The  star  watchers  have  kept  their  in- 
tense gaze  on  the  rays  of  the  twinkling  stars,  and 
eagerly  sought  to  know :  Do  the  stars  change  their 
points  of  rising  from  day  to  day,  from  year  to 
year?  And  to  every  inquiry,  they  have  given  an 
invariable  shining,  No  ;  never. 

3.  The  same  conclusion  was  reached  by  0.  M. 
Mitchel,  in  his  Popular  Astronomy,  p.  18  :  "An  ex- 
amination of  the  points  of  rising,  culminating,  and 
setting  of  the  fixed  stars,  showed  them  to  be  abso- 
lutely invariable."      Therefore,   because  the  stars 
seen  from  the  earth  never  change  their  points  of 
rising,  culminating,  and  setting,  which  phenomenon 
is  authenticated  by  0.  M.  Mitchel,  this  fact  of  na- 
ture is  a  demonstration  that  the  earth  moves  round 
the  sun,  the  same  as  if  it  were  a  homogeneous  and 
perfect  sphere. 

4.  The  position  of  the  earth  when  at  one  or  the 
other  of  the  equinoctial  points,  if  the  sun's  attrac- 
tion of  gravitation  affects  the  earth,  the  attraction 
must  be  the  same  on  the  northern  hemisphere  that 
it  is  on  the  southern  hemisphere,  resulting  in  a  per- 
fect equilibrium,  the  same  as  if  the  whole  matter 
of  the  earth  was  absolutely  balanced  on  its  centre, 
preserving  the  parallelism  of  the  axis  and  the  con- 
stancy of  the  poles  of  the  heavens.     So  when  the 
earth  is  at  either  equinoctial  point,  the  action  of 
the  gravity  of  the  sun  is  the  same  as  if  the  earth 
were  a  homogeneous  and  perfect  sphere. 

5.  The  equatorial  diameter  of  the  earth  equals 
7,926  miles,  and  its  polar  diameter   7,900  miles. 
Within  the  earth  you  may  describe  a  perfect  sphere, 
every  diameter  of  which  equals   the  earth's  polar 
diameter.    The  excess  of  matter  above  the  contents 
of  this  perfect  sphere  is  thirteen  miles,  thick  at  the 


HYPOTHESIS. 


circumference  of  the  equator,  declining  gradually 
from  either  side  of  it  to  both  the  poles,  at  which 
points  it  is  0.  This  excess  of  matter  constitutes 
the  difference  between  a  perfect  sphere  and  an  ob- 
late spheroid,  and  on  it  (sometimes  called  the  re- 
dundant or  superabundant  matter  gathered  at  the 
equatorial  regions)  Newton  supposed  the  attrac- 
tion of  the  sun  acted  to  cause  the  equinoctial  points 
to  regress.  This  involves  the  novelty  of  the  sun's 
attraction  being  greatest  on  small  quantities  of  mat- 
ter, and  least  on  greatest  quantities  of  matter. 
Thus  prepared  with  the  quantities  requisite  to  un- 
derstand the  subject,  suppose  a  ring  of  matter,  of 
the  consistence  and  mass  of  that  portion  of  the 
earth  included  in  the  difference  between  its  polar 
and  equatorial  diameters,  revolving  around  the  sun, 
having  the  inclination  of  its  axis  the  same  as  that 
of  the  earth. 

The  equinoctial  points  of  such  a  ring  will,  ac- 
cording to  Newton,  be  continually  regressive. 

Then  at  some  distance  from  the  ring,  with  a 
swifter  motion,  suppose  a  homogeneous  and  per- 
fect sphere  to  be  revolving  around  the  sun,  of  a 
size  to  fit  within  the  ring,  having  the  same  inclina- 
tion of  axis  with  the  ring.  , 

Of  such  a  sphere  Newton  says,  in  Principia,  p. 
214,  Book  I.  :  "And  the  inclination  of  the  axis,  or 
the  velocity  of  the  rotation,  will  not  be  changed  by 
centripetal  force."  The  sphere  overtakes  the  ring, 
passes  into  it,  and  when  the  equator  of  the  sphere 
touches  the  equator  of  the  ring,  they  adhere,  and 
instantly  the  force  of  the  attraction  of  gravitation 
on  the  sphere  to  preserve  the  parallelism  of  its 
axis,  assisted  by  the  additional  force  of  its  axial  jjj 
rotation,  overcomes  the  very  small  force  of  the 


tj 


112  HYPOTHESIS. 


attraction  of  gravitation  on  the  ring  to  cause  the 
regress  of  its  equinoctial  points,  and  henceforth,  in 
the  union  of  the  ring  and  sphere,  the  now  spheroid 
will  move  round  the  sun  the  same  as  if  it  was  a 
homogeneous  and  perfect  sphere. 

Corollary  1.  The  precession  of  the  equinoxes 
assumes  that  the  attraction  of  gravitation  is 
stronger  on  that  part  of  the  earth  thirteen  miles 
deep  at  the  equatorial  regions,  diminishing  to  0  at 
the  poles,  than  it  is  on  the  contents  of  the  sphere 
within  it,  whose  diameter  is  7,900  miles.  This  is 
unreasonable. 

Corollary  2.  The  precession  of  the  equinoxes 
supposes  that  the  force  of  the  attraction  of  universal 
gravitation  is  more  on  one  pound  of  matter  of  that 
(Of'  Par^  °f  *ne  earth  which  constitutes  its  oblate  form 
of  matter,  than  it  is  on  ten  pounds  of  matter  of  its 
spherical  contents  under  the  same  law  ;  and  this 
proportion  being  much  greater  in  relation  to  the 
matter  of  the  earth,  which  gives  it  its  oblate  form, 
compared  with  the  enormous  amount  included 
within  the  sphere  whose  diameter  is  7,900  miles. 
By  so  much  is  the  absurdity  greater. 

Corollary  3.  If  the  force  of  this  attraction  of  uni- 
versal gravitation  on  the  shell  of  an  egg  is  more 
than  it  is  on  the  contents  of  the  egg  within  the 
shell,  we  may  accept  the  Newtonian  hypothesis 
that  the  shell  of  the  earth  (called  so  by  Herschel) 
composing  the  oblate  form  of  the  earth,  is  more 
strongly  attracted  than  the  rest  of  the  earth.  But 
the  hypothesis  is  so  contrary  to  reason,  lacking  the 
verifications  of  nature,  as  to  demand  its  exclusion 
from  the  pale  of  science. 


AN  ANTIC  OF  UNIVERSAL  GRAVITATION. 


The  Tides. 

When  the  matter  of  our  earth  was  started  into 
motion  round  its  axis,  the  forces  to  cause  the  tides 
were  generated.  The  centrifugal  force  to  cause 
the  rise,  and  the  centripetal  force  to  cause  the  fall, 
of  the  waters.  Hence  the  origin  of  the  tides,  and 
all  observed  true  phenomena  may  be  traced  to  the 
centrifugal  and  centripetal  forces  of  the  earth, 
every  atom  of  its  matter  being  perpetually  sub- 
jected to  these  forces  in  the  given  case. 

On  this  affirmation  I  rest,  in  the  consciousness  of 
its  entire  truth ;  for  as  I  have  demonstrated  that 
all  the  known  forces  of  nature  pertaining  to  a 
heavenly  body  may  be  generated  by  a  single  im- 
pulse, it  results  that  nature,  in  her  works,  is 
independent  of  the  dogma  of  universal  gravitation. 

An  Antic  of  Universal  Gravitation. 

It  is  assumed  that  from  a  given  point  the  waters 
of  a  distant  sphere  may  be  urged  in  opposite 
directions. 

According  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  the  attraction  of 
every  particle  of  the  matter  of  a  sphere  may  be 
assumed  to  be  lodged  in  the  centre  of  the  globe, 
and  on  this  hypothesis  let  the  centres  of  the  earth, 
moon,  and  sun  be  in  a  straight  line,  the  moon 
being  between  the  earth  and  sun,  and  the  mutual 
attractions  of  the  three  bodies  exerted  in  the  line 
of  the  conjunction  of  the  earth,  moon,  and  sun. 

From  the  centre  of  the  earth  in  this  line  the 
attractions  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  said  to  draw 
the  waters  of  the  earth  toward  them,  causing  a 
high  tide  on  the  side  of  the  earth  nearest  to  the 
sun  and  moon ;  and  the  same  attractions  of  the  sun 
and  moon  are  supposed  to  project  in  an  opposite 


APPARENT  STELLAR  MOTIONS. 


direction  from  the  centre  of  the  earth  the  waters, 
causing  a  high  tide  on  this  opposite  side  of  the 
earth.  But  the  assumptions  involving,  as  they  do, 
the  theory  that  the  whole  of  the  attractions  of  the 
sun  and  moon  in  a  given  line  may  both  pull  and 
push  a  part  of  the  matter  from  the  centre  of  a 
third  distant  sphere  in  opposite  directions,  is  an 
antic  indeed,  and  too  contrary  to  true  wisdom  to 
find  a  place  in  true  philosophy.  On  one  side  of 
the  earth  there  may  be  a  high  tide,  in  the  time  of 
the  entire  absence  of  the  sun  and  moon,  they  for 
the  time  being  on  the  other  side  of  the  earth  ;  and 
if  on  one  side,  why  not  on  the  other,  for  like 
causes  produce  like  effects,  and  our  conclusion  is 
adverse  to  the  received  theory. 

Apparent  Stellar  Motions. 

The  disciples  of  Newton  and  Copernicus  are  at 
fault  in  ascribing  as  an  effect  the  apparent  daily 
acceleration  of  the  stars  to  the  annual  motion  of 
the  earth. 

In  T.  Dick's  works,  Vol.  III.,  p.  19,  under  the 
caption,  "Annual  Motion  of  the  Stars,"  speaking 
of  the  changes  which  the  clusters  of  stars  undergo 
from  time  to  time,  he  says  :  "Those  variations  in 
the  appearance  of  the  stars  lead  to  the  conclusion 
that  there  is  an  apparent  annual  revolution  of 
these  luminaries." 

In  Burritt's  Geography  of  the  Heavens,  p.  29,  he 
says  :  "In  consequence  of  the  earth's  motion  east- 
ward in  its  orbit,  the  stars  seem  to  have  a  motion 
westward  beside  their  apparent  diurnal  motion." 
This  apparent  annual  revolution  of  the  stars,  like 
the  apparent  yearly  revolution  of  the  sun,  T.  Dick 
says,  is  due  to  the  "  annual  revolution  of  the  earth 


CAUSE  OF  THE  STARS7  DAILY  ACCELERATION.  115 

around  the  sun."  This  conclusion  is  also  main- 
tained by  Burritt.  That  the  astronomers  were 
mistaken  is  made  out  in  a  most  conclusive  way  by 
an  appeal  to  the  facts  of  nature. 

The  amount  of  the  mean  daily  acceleration  of 
the  stars  westward  is  59'  10".6S+,  but  the  amount 
of  arc  which  the  earth  describes  in  its  mean  daily 
motion  in  its  orbit  is  59'  8".33.  Hence  the  arc  or 
angle  described  by  the  stars  in  their  mean  daily 
acceleration  is  2".  35+  more  than  the  arc  described 
by  the  earth  in  its  mean  daily  motion  in  its  orbit. 
On  this  account,  when  the  astronomers  attribute 
the  cause  of  the  apparent  yearly  motion  of  the 
stars  to  the  motion  of  the  earth  in  its  orbit,  they 
stand  impeached  for  want  of  the  true  knowledge 
of  the  facts  of  nature. 

Cause  of  the  Stars'  Daily  Acceleration. 

An  arc  of  the  celestial  equator  appears  to  pass 
the  meridian  in  the  time  of  a  mean  solar  day,  equal 
to  360°  59'  10".6S+,  and  but  300°  in  the  time  of  a 
sidereal  day. 

By  using  the  time  (24  hours)  of  a  mean  solar 
day  as  a  standard  of  measurement,  take  the  time 
of  some  mean  midnight,  with  a  star  on  your  me- 
ridian, and  at  the  time  of  the  next  mean  midnight 
the  star  will  be  advanced  beyond  your  meridian 
westward  an  amount  of  angular  measurement  equal 
to  59'  10".68-K  So  from  one  mean  midnight  to 
another  in  the  time  of  365  mean  solar  days,  by 
these  arcs  of  59'  10".68+,  the  stars  will  move  east- 
ward presenting  all  the  phenomena  described  by 
Dick  in  the  time  of  365  mean  solar  days,  or  which 
is  the  same,  the  time  of  366  sidereal  days,  which  is 
in  time  6  hours,  9  minutes,  9.6  seconds  less  than 


CAUSE  OF  THE  STARS7  DAILY  ACCELERATION. 


the  time  of  the  astronomers'  year  of  the  earth  by 
the  stars. 

If  you  were  to  determine  the  revolutions  of  the 
earth  on  its  axis  by  a  star,  every  time  the  earth 
made  one  exact  revolution  on  its  axis,  the  stars 
would  finish  a  complete  apparent  sidereal  day  revo- 
lution around  the  axis  of  the  heavens ;  but  when 
you  extend  the  standard  of  time  to  that  of  a  mean 
solar  day,  in  consequence  of  it  the  stars  will  have 
a  mean  daily  acceleration  of  59'  10".  68+  westward 
around  the  axis  of  the  heavens,  in  addition  to  360P 
of  apparent  revolution  arising  from  the  motion  of 
the  earth  on  its  axis,  the  same  as  in  their  diurnal 
motion. 

Therefore,  the  observed  apparent  annual  motion 
of  the  stars,  in  the  time  of  365  solar  days,  is  com- 
posed of  the  arcs  of  the  mean  daily  acceleration  of 
the  stars,  belonging  to  effects  of  the  earth's  axial 
motions  transferred  to  the  stars  and  mixed  up  with 
the  diurnal  motions,  and  may  be  made  plain  by  the 
following  : 

1 .  The  continual  motion  of  the  earth  on  its  axis 
will  cause  the  stars  in  appearance,  to  an  observer, 
to  have  continual  motion. 

2.  If  you  take  the  time  in  which  the  earth  makes 
one  rotation  on  its  axis,  and  make  this,   as  the  as- 
tronomers have   done,   a  standard  of  time  ;  then, 
counting  the  revolutions  in  consecutive  order,  the 
stars  will  appear  to  have  consecutive  diurnal  revo- 
lution around  the  axis  of  the  heavens,  each  consecu- 
tive revolution  in  the  exact  time  in  which  the  earth 
completes  a  revolution  of  360°  on  its  axis. 

3.  But  if  you,  as  before  stated,  take  the  time  oi 
a  mean  solar  day,  and  periods  of  from  midnight  to 
midnight,  to  watch  the  stars  and  conform  their  mo- 


LAW  OF  PLANETARY  MOTION. 


tions  to  the  standard  of  time,  the  mean  daily  accel- 
erations of  the  stars  will  give  them  a  westward  mo- 
tion every  day,  increasing  by  the  addition  of  an 
arc  of  59'  10".68-f,  resulting  in  this :  That  if  on 
the  mean  midnight  of  your  own  selection  you  find 
a  star  on  your  meridian  at  the  next  midnight,  it 
will  be  advanced  westward  59'  10".6S+,  and  in  the 
lapse  of  365  solar  days  the  star  will  be  on  the  me- 
ridian again. 

The  astronomers  have  made  a  mistake  in  not 
noticing  that  the  time  of  a  mean  solar  day,  if  ap- 
plied to  the  stars,  would  generate  their  apparent 
mean  daily  acceleration ;  but  attributing  it  to  the 
mean  daily  motion  of  the  earth  in  its  orbit,  and  not 
perceiving  it  to  arise  from  the  motion  of  the  earth 
on  its  axis  for  the  time  of  a  mean  solar  day,  they 
left  the  way  open  for  me  to  show  the  true  way  to 
the  children  of  men. 

Law  of  Planetary  Motion. 

The  planets  do  not  go  round  the  stars  like  they 
do  round  the  sun.  On  this  account,  when  the  area 
of  the  orbit  of  the  planet  is  known  to  be  a  mere 
point  when  compared  with  the  stellar  distances,  the 
effect  of  the  orbital  motion  of  the  planet  on  the 
stars  is  the  same  as  if  the  orbital  motion  had  no 
existence.  This  agrees  with  the  appearances  of 
nature,  and,  therefore,  the  number  of  the  apparent 
revolutions  of  the  stars  (366i)  seen  from  the  earth 
will  be  one  less  (equaling  the  number  of  axial  ro- 
tations) than  the  number  of  the  revolutions  of  the 
earth  for  the  time  of  its  solar  year,  which  are  3671, 
exactly  the  number  of  times  the  earth  turns  on  its 
axis  by  a  star,  and  revolves  round  the  sun. 


118         THE  ASTRONOMERS'  ANNUAL  PARALLAXES. 

The  Astronomers'  Annual  Parallaxes. 
In  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1858  p.  135,  is 
given  certain  parallaxes,  varying  from  0".915  of  a 
degree,  to  0".046  of  a  degree.  The  Smithsonian 
Report  is  not  inferior  in  authority  and  correctness, 
so  far  as  it  moves  in  concert  with  all  institutions  of 
learning ;  but  I  prefer  to  quote  and  refer  to  it, 
rather  than  any  other,  because  the  Institution  was 
originated  as  a  specialty  for  the  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge among  men.  I  especially  invite  the  very 
particular  attention  of  the  President,  Officers,  Board 
of  Regents,  and  the  learned  Secretary  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  to  a  careful  examination  of  my 
claims,  lest  others  of  their  countrymen,  less  honor- 
able in  fame  and  position,  step  in  before  them  in 
acknowledging  the  facts  of  God  in  nature. 

Bessel's  Annual  Parallax  of  61  Cygni,  is  0  .348. 

(From  Smithsonian  Report  for  1858,  p.  135.) 

Those  who  accept  this  parallax  as  probably  true, 
should  take  enough  interest  in  the  subject  to  learn 
that  the  given  distance  indicated  by  it  in  the  Re- 
port, instead  of  being  equal  to  the  distance  over 
which  a  ray  of  light  would  move  in  9.4  years, 
should  be  nearly  19  years.  All  the  astronomers' 
parallaxes  are  vitiated  by  a  like  quantity,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  bisecting  the  isosceles  triangle 
projected  in  the  parallax,  taking  but  one-half  of 
the  base  line,  without  correspondingly  reducing  the 
measured  parallax  a  like  quantity. 

If  a  star  seen  from  the  extremities  of  the  diame- 
ter of  the  earth's  orbit  suffers  an  apparent  displace- 
ment of  2"  of  a  degree,  the  distance  indicated  by  it 
would  be  about  twenty  trillions  of  miles.  But  if 
you  bisect  the  isosceles  triangle,  and  take  the  semi 


THE  ASTRONOMERS'  ANNUAL  PARALLAXES.         119 

diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit  for  the  base  line,  and 
also  for  the  angular  subtense  of  the  parallax,  as  is 
done  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1858,  p.  132, 
the  resulting  distance  will  be  about  twenty  trillions 
of  miles,  the  same  as  when  the  conditions  involved 
the  whole  of  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit  for 
the  base  line  of  2"  of  parallax.  But  I  propose  the 
true  and  whole  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit  to  be 
used  as  a  base  line  of  an  annual  parallax,  as  defined 
by  Webster,  and  from  its  extremities  it  is  assumed 
that  a  star  seen  had  an  annual  parallax  of  1"  of  a 
degree,  and  trigonometrically,  or  by  my  new 
methods  by  simple  proportion  and  division,  the  re- 
sult will  be  the  same,  about  forty  trillions  of  miles, 
or  twice  as  much  as  is  given  by  the  astronomers. 
This  is  what  I  mean  when  I  say  that  the  manner 
of  the  astronomers  in  bisecting  their  annual  paral- 
laxes lead  to  but  half  the  true  result. 

Now,  I  have  given  an  annual  parallax  of  1",  and 
if  you  will,  you  may  bisect  the  isosceles  triangle  of 
the  parallax  after  the  manner  of  that  to  which  I 
have  referred  you  in  the  Smithsonian  Report ;  and 
also  bisect  the  angle  of  the  parallax  which  was 
subtended  by  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit, 
and  the  result  will  be,  as  before,  about  forty  tril- 
lions of  miles,  twice  as  far  as  the  men  of  science 
have  heretofore  thought  the  distance  of  the  stars 
was  from  an  annual  parallax  of  one  second  of  a 
degree.  I  will  now  particularly  notice  Bessel's 
annual  parallax  of  61  Cygni,  it  being  0".348  of  a 
degree.  Wishing  to  place  the  argument  on  the 
most  solid  foundation,  becoming  the  dignity  of  the 
subject  and  the  fame  of  the  discoverer,  I  will  place 
before  the  reader  what  is  said  about  the  base  line 
of  annual  parallaxes  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for 


rv 

c 


THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  THEORY  AND  FACTS. 

1858,  p.  132  :  "Oar  change  of  position,  involving 
a  distance  of  more  than  200,000,000  of  miles, 
dwindles  down  to  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
line  which  extends  from  the  earth  to  the  stars/' 
Admit  this,  and  then  the  base  line  of  Bessel's 
parallax  was  nothing,  and  the  parallax  must  have 
been  0".000  also. 

Axiom. 

The  star  61  in  the  Swan  was  observed  from  a 
mere  point,  and  such  observations  culminated  in 
a  point ;  and  hence  any  amount  of  an  appreciable 
parallax,  when  the  extent  of  field  of  observation 
admitted  of  no  other  extension  than  could  be 
afforded  from  a  mere  point,  was  impossible. 

When,  in  addition  to  this,  you  take  into  consid- 
eration that  BessePs  observations  of  61  Cygni  were 
at  all  times  complicated  by  the  diurnal  and  sup- 
posed animal  aberration  of  the  light  of  the  stars, 
by  the  assumed  precession  of  the  equinoxes,  the 
nutation  of  the  earth's  axis,  the  refraction  of  light, 
and  the  deflection  of  the  light  of  the  stars  as  it 
enters  our  atmosphere,  the  probabilities  of  the 
truth  of  his  parallax  have  vanished  away. 

Peters'  Annual  Parallax  of  Capella  is  0  .046. 

The  annual  parallax  of  the  star  Capella,  by 
Peters,  printed  in  the  Smithsonian  Report  for 
1858,  p.  135,  is  0".046  of  a  degree,  and  the  time 
required  for  its  light  to  reach  us  is  said  to  be  71.7 
years. 

The  Difference  Between  Theory  and  Facts. 

A  parallax  of  0".046  of  a  degree,  seen  from  the 
extremities  of  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit,  in- 


THE  DIFPEEENCE  BETWEEN  THEORY  AND  FACTS.         121 

dicates  a  distance  forty-two  times  greater  than  that 
of  Herschel's  annual  parallax  of  1"  of  a  degree, 
as  set  forth  in  the  fourth  edition  of  his  Outlines  of 
Astronomy,  p.  45 G,  and  light  would  require  a 
period  of  over  140  years  to  pass  over  the  distance. 
Reduce  the  line  of  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit 
to  a  yard,  and  Herschel's  resulting  distance  from  a 
parallax  of  1"  of  a  degree  in  the  same  proportion, 
and  their  relation  to  each  other  is  as  one  yard  to 
sixty  miles  nearly. 

Again  :  with  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit 
reduced  to  a  yard,  and  the  distance  indicated  by 
Peters'  annual  parallax  of  the  star  Capella  in  the 
same  proportion,  and  the  relation  they  bear  to 
each  other  is  as  one  yard  to  2,520  miles.  This 
analysis  clearly  aids  ordinary  minds  to  readily 
perceive  that  these  things  being  so,  the  proportions 
at  once  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  all  such  annual 
parallaxes  are  merely  theoretical. 

Does  not  this  comparison  place  the  annual  paral- 
laxes in  so  forlorn  an  estate  as  to  render  their 
acceptance  as  facts  of  nature  impossible,  they 
appearing  more  like  impositions  in  science  than 
beautiful  developments  of  natural  truth  ? 

1.  The  parallax  of  the  star  Capella  indicates  a 
distance    of  over   850,000,000,000,000    of  miles, 
which  is  about  twice  the  distance  allowed  for  in 
the  Smithsonian  Report. 

2.  The  distance  indicated  by  the  parallax  of  the 
star  Capella  is  forty-two  times  greater  than  Her- 
schel's  annual   parallax   of  1",  and   is   twice  the 
quantity  allowed  for  in  the  Smithsonian  Report. 

3.  Light   is   known   to   travel    at   the    rate    of 
192,000  miles   each  second   of  time,  and  at  this 
rate  it  would  require  over  140  years  for  the  light 


122  UNIVERSAL  GRAVITATION. 

of  the  star  to  reach  the  earth — twice  as  long  as  is 
allowed  for  in  the  Smithsonian  Report. 

4.  Because  visual  rays  directed  from  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit  to  a 
star,  supposed  to  be  19,788,239,040,000  of  miles 
from  the  earth,  will  coincide  and  be  the  same  with 
respect  to  the  star,  it  becomes  a  monstrosity  in 
science  to  suppose  that  at  forty-two  times  the  dis- 
tance the  visual  rays  of  the  observer  will  cross  each 
other,  and  subtend  a  parallax  of  0".046  of  a  degree. 
Or  you  may  discount  the  half  of  the  calculation, 
and  get  down  to  that  of  the  Smithsonian  Report, 
and  the  same  fact  concerning  the  law  of  distance 
cuts  off  all  hope  of  obtaining  an  annual  parallax. 
You  may  make  another  discount  of  one -half,  and 
get  far  below  the  calculation  of  the  Smithsonian 
Report,  and  still  there  comes,  from  the  profound, 
unfathomable  distance,  no  hope  for  annual  paral- 
laxes. 

Universal  Gravitation. 

In  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1856,  p.  200,  it 
says  :  "Newton's  theory  of  universal  gravitation  : 
the  most  extended  generalization  ever  established 
by  man.  It  may  be  expressed  as  follows  : 

"  1.  The  attraction  exists  between  the  atoms  of 
all  matter  at  finite  distances,  and  is  the  same  for 
all  kinds  of  matter ;  hence, 

"  2.  The  force  of  attraction  is  proportional  to  the 
mass  of  the  attracting  body,  the  distance  being  the 
same. 

"3.  If  the  same  body  attracts  several  bodies  at 
different  distances,  the  forces  are  inversely  as  the 
square  of  the  distances. 

"All  deductions  from  this  theory  are  in  strict 


EXTENT  OP  THE  SUN^S  ATTRACTION. 


accordance  with  the  phenomena  of  nature.     The 
only  proof  of  the  truth  of  any  physical  law." 

At  this  point  I  join  issue  with  the  scheme,  and 
say :  Because  the  truly  understood  phenomena  of 
nature  is  in  strict  disaccordance  with  the  deduc- 
tions from  the  theory  of  universal  gravitation,  it 
can  not  be  true.  And  because  the  assumed  attrac- 
tion of  the  sun  is  capable  of  carrying  around  the 
sun  in  orbits  as  many  bodies  as  can  be  placed  side 
by  side,  in  as  many  orbits  as  can  be  described  in 
the  bounds  of  the  system  of  the  sun,  this  repletion 
is  too  much  for  the  theory  as  heretofore  expounded 
to  endure ;  and  this  being  too  much,  exposes  its  own 
fallacy. 

The  Assumed  Quantity  of  the  Sun's  Attraction. 

The  force  of  the  attraction  of  the  sun  has  been 
estimated  to  be  between  live  and  seven  hundred 
times  more  than  all  the  forces  of  all  the  other 
bodies  of  the  solar  system  ;  but  I  am  prepared  to 
prove  that  the  sun  is  as  capable  of  carrying  a  num- 
ber more  than  a  thousand  times  greater  than  all 
the  bodies  which  are  now  assumed  to  be  carried 
round  the  sun  by  his  own  attraction,  as  he  is  capa- 
ble of  carrying  Mercury  alone  by  the  theory. 

Extent  of  the  Sun's  Attraction. 

From  every  point  of  the  surface  of  the  sun  radi- 
ating into  space  the  light  of  the  sun  goes  forth,  ex- 
tending beyond  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  the  light 
decreasing  in  intensity  as  the  square  of  the  distance 
increases. 

So  the  attraction  of  gravitation  from  every  point 
of  the  surface  of  the  sun,  it  is  said,  goes  forth,  and 
extends  beyond  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  decreasing 
in  intensity  as  the  square  of  the  distance  increases, 


ILLUSTRATION. 


and  thus  it  appears  that  the  disciples  of  Newton 
hold  that  a  like  law  which  obtains  in  nature  in  re- 
spect to  the  light  of  the  sun,  holds  good  in  respect 
to  their  assumed  dogma  of  the  attraction  of  the 
gravity  of  the  sun. 

Furthermore,  you  are  not  to  suppose  that  the 
mutual  gravitation  of  a  planet  and  the  sun  are 
gathered  up  and  follow  the  planet  round  the  sun  ; 
but  like  as  a  body  or  planet  moves  in  the  vast  field 
or  ocean  of  the  sun's  light,  or  like  a  fish  moves 
through  the  water,  or  a  bird  moves  through  the 
air,  so  a  heavenly  body  moves  through  the  vast 
field  of  the  sun's  attraction  of  gravitation,  which 
has  been  assumed  to  be  coequal  with  the  extent  of 
the  light  of  the  sun,  and  governed  by  the  same  law 
of  the  square  of  the  distance. 

You  are  also  to  conclude  that  the  sun's  attrac- 
tion of  gravitation  is  not  arrested  by  the  density  of 
a  heavenly  body,  as  the  light  of  the  sun  is  ;  but,  ac- 
cording to  the  theory,  it  passes  through  a  body, 
however  dense  it  may  be,  with  as  much  freedom 
as  if  the  space  occupied  by  the  planet  was  free  from 
every  obstruction,  and  to  suppose  otherwise,  would 
in  the  event  of  a  conjunction  of  all  the  planets, 
tumble  the  theory  of  universal  gravitation  into  in- 
extricable confusion. 

Illustration. 

Divide  the  area  of  the  orbit  of  the  earth  into  as 
many  angles  or  parts  as  may  be  subtended  by  the 
equatorial  diameter  of  the  earth,  seen  from  the 
centre  of  the  sun.  In  every  one  of  these  angles  or 
parts  the  attraction  of  gravity  of  the  sun  is  supposed 
to  be  always  present,  the  same  as  is  the  sun's  light, 
the  former  to  move  the  earth,  the  latter  for  its  illu- 


ILLUSTRATION.  125 


initiation,  without  any  respect  to  the  presence  or 
absence  of  the  earth.  All  of  the  Newtonian  phi- 
losophy are  free  to  admit  the  sufficiency  of  the 
force  of  the  sun's  attraction  to  carry  the  earth  over 
anyone  of  these  angles  or  parts,  in  the  earth's  jour- 
ney through  the  vast  ocean  of  the  attraction  of 
gravitation ;  and  if  so,  why  not  sufficient  to  carry  a 
globe  of  the  size  and  mass  of  the  earth,  placed  in 
every  one  of  these  angles  in  a  revolution  round  the 
sun  ?  In  this  attraction  of  the  sun  on  the  planets, 
the  astronomers  have  perpetrated  a  darling  error 
in  assuming  to  weigh  the  sun  against  the  planets 
on  an  imaginary  steelyard  or  balance,  and  on  such 
a  basis  they  have  computed  the  weight  of  the  bodies 
of  the  solar  system,  and  made  it  the  measure  of  the 
mutual  attractions  of  all  the  bodies  revolving  around 
the  sun.  Admit  the  astronomers'  law  in  this  case, 
and  at  a  time  when  the  planets  are  in  conjunction, 
if  then  they  can  be  weighed  against  the  sun,  by  the 
same  reasons  a  like  experiment  may  be  tried  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  sun  with  another  imaginary 
steelyard  or  balance,  and  another  set  of  planets 
like  those  first  weighed,  and  the  result  must  be  the 
same.  So  you  may  project  as  many  radii  from  the 
sun's  centre  to  the  outmost  bounds  of  the  solar  sys- 
tem as  the  circular  space  will  admit  of,  to  accom- 
modate the  diameters  of  the  planets.  Use  these 
radii  as  imaginary  steelyards  or  balances,  place  on 
every  one  of  them  bodies  exactly  like  the  planets, 
of  the  same  number,  and  simultaneously  they  may 
all  be  weighed  against  the  sun  without  any  more 
disturbing  his  force  or  position  than  would  the 
weighing  of  the  planets  alone  against  the  sun,  and 
with  the  same  imaginary  result. 

Now  select  one  of  the  angles  into  which  the  area 


ILLUSTRATION. 


of  the  earth's  orbit  was  divided,  and  let  it  be  the  one 
beginning  with  the  vernal  equinoctial  point ;  and  as 
the  earth  moves  out  of  this  angle,  the  force  does  not 
move  along  with  it,  but  remains  in  the  angle,  and 
is  as  potent  to  move  a  second  and  third  earth  fol- 
lowing the  first  as  it  was  the  first  one.  So  on  add 
globe  to  globe  in  consecutive  order,  until  the  sun  is 
surrounded  with  a  ring  of  globes  of  the  size  and 
density  of  our  earth,  and  the  force  of  the  sun's  at- 
traction to  cause  the  orbital  motion  of  the  earth  is 
also  sufficient,  because  of  its  abiding  force  over  the 
whole  orbit,  to  carry  this  ring  of  globes  round  the 
sun  in  continual  orbital  motion.  Deny  this,  and 
you  deny  the  doctrine  of  universal  gravitation. 
Call  to  mind  the  spherical  space  illuminated  by  the 
sun,  the  outskirts  of  which  are  far  beyond  the  orbit 
of  Neptune,  and  at  every  point  within  it  there  is 
assumed  to  be  continually  present  some  force  of 
the  sun's  attraction,  as  intense  as  when  at  first  the 
primordial  laws  of  the  universe  were  called  into 
requisition  by  the  Creator.  Some  have  thought 
that  Mercury  is  as  dense  as  lead,  and  the  planets 
outward  are  decreased  in  density,  so  that  the  den- 
sity of  the  matter  of  the  planet  Neptune  equals  the 
density  of  cork.  With  some  such  scale  of  decreas- 
ing density  over  the  square  of  the  distance  from  the 
sun,  suppose  at  every  point  within  the  solar  sys- 
tem an  atom  of  matter  to  be  present,  and  the  atoms 
free  to  move  among  themselves.  Now  let  every 
one  of  these  atoms  of  the  density  of  lead  at  Mercu- 
ry's distance,  decreasing  to  the  density  of  cork  at 
Neptune's  distance,  from  the  sun,  be  subjected  to 
the  Newtonian  projectile  and  centripetal  forces,  and 
for  the  reason,  if  it  be  the  sun's  attraction  that  car- 
ries the  planets  around  the  sun,  the  same  force  is 


UNIVERSAL  GRAVITATION. 


sufficient  to  carry  every  one  of  these  atoms  round 
the  sun,  because  the  force  of  gravitation  in  unwasted 
energy  is  assumed  to  be  ever  present  at  every  point 
of  the  spherical  space  of  the  solar  system.  This  is 
so  much  more  than  the  system  of  weighing  the 
sun  against  the  planets  can  endure,  that  it,  and  all 
that  is  related  to  it,  should  be  abandoned  for  a 
better  way  of  knowledge. 

Universal  Gravitation. 

The  Smithsonian  Report  for  1856  defines  the 
attraction  of  gravitation  to  be,  "  (46)  The  recip- 
rocal tendency  of  all  parts  of  the  solar  system  to 
approach  each  other  j"  and,  "(50)  Gravitation  the 
most  feeble  of  all  attractions." 

1.  Of  the  bodies  of  the  solar  system  this  can  not 
be  true,  because  the  forces  of  the  axial  and  orbital 
revolutions  of  the  spheres  are  greater  than  the  cal- 
culated gravitation  of  the  spheres  among  themselves. 

2.  On  p.  18  there  is  an  experiment  to  show  how 
a  certain  quantity  of  matter  may  or  may  not  be 
under  the  action  of  the  gravitation  of  the  sphere. 
Such  is  the  nature  or  effect  of  axial  rotation,  that 
any  forces  exterior  to  the  rotating  heavenly  body 
are  abundantly  overcome  by  it,  securing  the  stabil- 
ity of  the  motion  of  the  bod)'-. 

3.  All  error  carries  with  it  the  seeds  of  its  own 
dissolution,  the  means  of  its  own  refutation.     The 
admission  that  the  force  of  gravitation  is  the  most 
feeble  of  all  attractions,  is  weakness  indeed.    Weak- 
ness to  such  an  amount  as  is  worthy  to  be  lost 
sight  of  in  calculating  and  accounting  for  the  forces 
of  nature  to  move  the  heavenly  bodies,  unless  you 
assume  that  a  weak  force  overcomes  a  stronger 
one,  which  is  absurd. 


THE  CROWN  IN  VIEW. 


The  Crown  in  View. 

(Smithsonian  Rfporlfor  1856,  p.  201.) 

"  (52)  The  earth  is  nearly  a  sphere,  and  all 
bodies  fall  in  straight  lines,  directed  nearly  to  its 
centre." 

What  a  fruit  of  cultivated  ignorance,  and  the 
evidence  of  how  the  noble  in  intellect  servilely 
follow  tradition  !  There  was  a  time  when,  on  the 
descent  of  bodies,  the  students  of  nature  were 
divided  in  opinion  :  some  claiming  that  all  motion 
was  originally  and  naturally  curvilinear ;  and  others, 
that  all  motion  was  naturally  and  originally  recti- 
linear. This  latter  opinion,  though  contrary  to 
nature,  prevailed  ;  and  now,  without  a  true  why 
or  wherefore,  even  the  learned  Secretary  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  avows  this  error  for  truth, 
when  all  the  phenomena  of  nature,  THE  ONLY  PROOF 

OF  THE  TRUTH  OF  ANY  PHYSICAL  LAW,  are  Opposed  to 

his  teaching. 

That  bodies  do  not  fall  in  straight  lines,  directed 
nearly  to  the  centre  of  the  earth,  or  as  others 
teach,  directed  exactly  to  the  centre  of  the  earth 
(for  the  scholars  are  not  agreed),  is  demonstrated 
by  the  fall  of  meteors,  and  also  by  the  descent  to 
the  earth  of  all  kinds  of  projectiles,  they  universally 
and  invariably  describe  curve  lines  in  their  descent, 
being  subject  to  the  forces  of  the  earth's  motions, 
from  the  force  of  which  they  can  not  escape.  And 
because  in  the  phenomena  of  nature  there  is  no 
true  record  of  the  observed  right-line  motion  of 
any  body,  the  law  of  straight-line  motion,  taught 
in  the  Smithsonian  Report,  is  not  consonant  with 
the  facts  of  nature,  and  therefore  not  true. 

The  hypothesis  of  universal  gravitation  endows 


THE  CROWN  IN  VIEW. 


every  atom  of  matter  with  power  to  move  itself. 
This  is  contrary  to  nature,  matter  being  alike  indif- 
ferent to  rest  or  motion,  its  perfect  passivity  being 
originally  necessary  to  permit  of  its  being  moved  ; 
and  when  started  into  motion  around  the  axis  of. 
each  one  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  then,  and  not 
before,  arose  the  attraction  of  the  matter  of  the 
sphere  to  its  axial  centre.  Hence  the  origin  of 
the  gravitation  of  the  matter  of  each  one  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  ;  and  being  confined  to  the  sphere 
and  its  atmosphere,  the  natural,  proper,  and  signifi- 
cant name  of  it  is  Spheroidal  Gravitation. 

This  spheroidal  gravitation,  in  its  effects,  was 
seen  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  but  not  understood  by 
him  ;  and  hence,  instead  of  attributing  the  descent 
of  bodies  to  the  earth,  and  the  tendency  of  every 
particle  of  the  matter  of  the  earth,  to  the  attracting 
tendency  of  the  earth's  axial  rotation,  the  earth's 
true  centripetal  force,  he  supposed  an  unseen 
power,  to  himself,  as  he  confesses,  perfectly  incom- 
prehensible, to  draw  all  the  particles  of  the  matter 
of  the  earth  to  its  centre.  He  then  stamped  every 
particle  of  all  the  matter  in  the  universe  with  this 
mistake,  and  originated  his  now  universally  re- 
ceived doctrine  of  universal  gravitation.  Had  he 
known  that  from  a  single  impulse  a  globe  could  be 
urged  in  the  direction  of  a  curve  line,  some  of  the 
labor  of  the  Principia  would  have  been  expended 
in  another  theory  of  the  celestial  motions. 

I  have  shown,  on  p.  73,  that  from  a  projectile 
impulse  a  globe  may  be  urged  in  the  direction  of 
a  curve  line  ;  and  such  a  demonstration  led  me  to 
the  conclusion,  that  the  same  kind  of  force  would 
turn  a  planet  on  its  axis,  and  urge  it  forward  over 
an  arc  of  its  orbit ;  and  because  the  curve-line 


130 


THE  CROWN  IN  VIEW. 


motion  of  a  globe  arising  from  a  single  impulse 
may  be  more  or  less  curved,  so  as  to  agree  with 
the  curve  of  any  circle,  ellipse,  or  epicycle,  it  be- 
came evident  to  me  that  all  the  directions  of 
motions  and  varieties  of  orbits  in  which  the 
heavenly  bodies  are  known  to  move  were  origin- 
ated by  single  impulses,  and  these  discoveries 
originated  the  right,  the  authority,  and  duty  to 
say  to  mankind  :  Behold  the  way  of  the  Lord  in 
nature ! 


17 


